TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


r.  OP  CALIF.  LJBHARY.  I.OS 


•COCKING  H18  HEAD  HE  CALLED,  -LUCY,  LUCY^OO-O-D  GIRL,  GOO-D 


GIRL!'" 

— Page  3S. 


TWIN  TRAVELERS 
IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

BY 

MARY  H.  WADE 

Author  of  "The  Little  Cousin  Series,"  "Light-Bringers," 
"Pilgrims  of  Today,"  etc. 


WITH  A  FRONTISPIECE  IN  COLOR  AND  TWENTY-FOUR 
ILLUSTRATIONS  FROM  PHOTOGRAPHS 


NEW  YORK 

FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1918,  by 
FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 

All  righto  reserved,  including  that  of  translation 
into  foreign  languages 


CONTENTS 

PART  I 
THE  WONDERS  OF  BRAZIL 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I    GREAT  NEWS 3 

II    THE  FIRST  LANDING 8 

III  INTO  THE  BAY  OF  ALL  SAINTS  .        .        .        .15 

IV  THE  NEW  HOME       ......  23 

V    GETTING  ACQUAINTED 32 

VI    SIGHTSEEING 36 

VII    AMONG  THE  COFFEE  FIELDS      ....  42 

VIII    BACK  TO  Rio     .        .        .        .        .        .        .54 

IX     SURPRISES         .       »                .       .      •„        .  59 

X    THE  EASTER  FESTIVAL      .        .        .        .        .  65 

XI    THE  SURPRISE  PARTY        .        .       .  ,     .        .  69 

PART  II 

ARGENTINA  AND  ITS  PAMPAS 

I    PEEPS  AT  URUGUAY  .  -     .       .  :     .        .       .  83 

II    NEW  SIGHTS      .                92 

III  OFF  TO  LA  PLATA 103 

IV  OFF  FOR  THE  PAMPAS 117 

V    THE  PARTING 121 

VI  NEW  SPORTS .  131 

VII  BRANDING  THE  CALVES 135 

VIII  DANGER  AHEAD 145 

IX  BACK  TO  THE  BIG  CITY 151 

X  OVER  THE  MOUNTAINS 163 


21335S4 


CONTENTS 

PART  III 
TRAVELING  ALONG  THE  SHOE-STRING 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I  CROSSING  THE  SHOE-STRING      ....  173 

II  THE  VALE  OP  PARADISE 179 

III  UNDER  THE  OCEAN 193 

IV  THE  ROUND  ROBIN 207 

V  ON  A  CHILEAN  FARM 215 

PART  IV 

THE  LANDS  OF  GOLD,  SILVER  AND  TIN  AND  THE 
BRIDGE  OF  WATER 

I  BOLIVIA  THE  WONDERFUL 227 

II  THE  CITY  OP  THE  TRUE  CROSS  .        .        .        .246 

III  PERU  THE  GOLDEN 251 

IV  EQUATOR-LAND 262 

V  THE  CAPTAIN'S  STORY 270 

VI     THE  BRIDGE  OP  WATER 276 

VII    THE  BEST  SURPRISE  OP  ALL  .    281 


[vi] 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

"Cocking  his  head  he  called,  'Lucy,  Lucy,  goo-o-d 

girl !  goo-d  girl ! '  '        .        .        .        .      Frontispiece 

FACING 
PAGE 

Bahia  is  a  two  storied  city  with  street  elevators  .  .  16 
There  are  plenty  of  playmates  in  Bahian  homes  .  .  20 

The  twins'  first  view  of  their  new  home — Bio  de 

Janeiro       '..'«.•        .        .        .        .        .      24 

One  of  Bio  de  Janeiro 's  beautiful  palm  avenues  .        .      38 

In  Sao  Paulo  they  saw  acres  of  low,  shining  coffee 

trees .        .        .52 

Piles  of  rubber  were  ready  for  shipment  down  the 

Amazon 76 

Fishermen  go  into  the  La  Plata  river  on  horseback 

with  nets 90 

The  Congressional  Building  at  Buenos  Aires,  by  night  102 
Argentina  is  a  great  sheep  raising  state  .  .  .  124 
An  Argentine  cowboy  preparing  leather  for  a  lasso  .  136 

A  Chilean  farmer  does  not  make  one  horse  do  all  the 

work 186 

An  Indian  village  in  Chile  is  built  of  straw  huts        .     196 

The  Araucanian  Indians  in   Chile  are  famous  for 

blanket  weaving 202 

This  Indian  dugout  in  South  Chile  is  made  of  a  huge 

tree 222 

[vii] 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACINd 
PAOE 

Indian  boats  on  Lake  Titicaca  are  made  of  straw        .  234 

Imposing  buildings  face  each  side  of  the  public  square 

at  Cuzco 238 

The  courtyard  of  an  old  Spanish  inn  at  Cuzco    .        .  242 

The  ruins  of  the  Inca  Fort  near  Cuzco  are  massive 

and  high .        .  244 

The  seats  of  the  Incas  at  Cuzco 246 

Two  little  "Llameros"  and  their  charges   .        .        .  248 

The  usual  method  of  travel  in  the  Peruvian  moun- 
tains        252 

A  street  in  Lima  looks  somewhat  like  a  North  Amer- 
ican thoroughfare 256 

This  Peruvian  silver  mine  is  a  tnue  treasure  cave       .  258 

Culebra  Cut  at  Panama — nine  miles  long — wi,th  a 

curve  in  every  mile 278 


[viii] 


PART  I 
THE  WONDERS  OF  BRAZIL 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN 
SOUTH  AMERICA 


CHAPTER  I 

GREAT   NEWS 

IT'S  impossible!"  cried  the  twins'  mother. 

A       "Not  in  the  least,  my  dear."     Their  father 

laughed  as  he  spoke. 

"To  begin  with,  it  costs  so  much  money  to  live  in 
Brazil."  Mrs.  Grayson  looked  worried. 

"But  if  money  can  be  made  twice — many  times  as 
fast  as  at  home,  what  difference  does  that  make!" 
Again  her  husband  laughed. 

'  *  And  the  twins !  How  can  they  get  an  education 
down  there  in  South  America?  Such  good  schools 
as  we  have  here,  and  they  are  doing  so  well  in  their 
studies — twelve  years  old  and  in  the  seventh  grade ! 
It's  ridiculous,  John.  There!" 

"Now  look  here,  little  wife,  Joe  and  Lucy  can 
have  a  good  governess  as  soon  as  we  get  settled  in 
Rio.  Moreover,  they'll  have  a  chance  to  see  some- 
thing of  this  big  wonderful  world  of  ours.  Travel  is 
the  best  educator  possible.  Besides,  I  have  an  op- 
[3] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

portunity  that  should  not  be  thrown  away.  It's  a 
chance  in  a  life-time.'* 

And  then  came  a  hurrying  and  scurrying  up  the 
stairs,  the  door  flew  open,  and  in  burst  the  twins, 
out  of  breath,  with  eyes  sparkling  and  cheeks  rosy 
with  the  race  as  to  who  should  get  there  first. 

"Look!"  cried  Joe,  holding  out  his  school  report. 
"Good  marks  in  everything — that  is,  except  con- 
duct." The  boy's  eyes  danced.  They  always  danced, 
for  that  matter ;  so,  why  should  a  failure  to  be  per- 
fect in  behavior  under  a  teacher  who,  somehow  or 
other,  *  *  rubbed  him  the  wrong  way, ' '  make  them  act 
contrary  to  rule? 

"My  report  is  good  in  everything  except  geog- 
raphy," said  Lucy,  getting  her  breath  and  a  chance 
to  speak  at  the  same  time.  Her  eyes  were  blue  like 
Joe's,  but  they  did  not  dance.  This  was  made  up 
for,  however,  by  a  dimple  in  each  cheek — a  deep 
one — that  insisted  on  being  noticed  with  every  smile 
of  their  little  owner. 

"I  wish  these  reports  could  have  been  perfect." 
Mr.  Grayson  tried  to  look  solemn.  "They  may  be 
the  last  ones  you  will  ever  receive  in  the  United 
States." 

' '  What  1 ' '  cried  Joe ;  and  "  Why ! ' '  exclaimed  Lucy 
in  the  same  breath.  Then  they  looked  at  their 
mother,  who  was  half  laughing,  half  crying. 

"A  big  ship  sails  out  of  New  York  harbor  next 
week,  on  the  second  day  of  October,  at  two  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon. ' '  Their  father  spoke  very  slowly. 
"This  ship,"  he  continued,  "takes  passengers  to 


GREAT  NEWS 

Rio  de  Janeiro,  the  capital  city  of  the  Republic  of 
Brazil,  which  is  the  largest  country  in  South  Amer- 
ica." 

"And — and — are  we  going  in  that  ship!"  burst 
out  Joe. 

"If  your  mother  is  willing.  And  when  we  get  to 
Eio — for  that  is  the  way  nearly  every  one  speaks 
of  the  city — we  will  stay  there  for  some  time,  while 
I  am  busy  exporting  coffee  to  people  in  this  coun- 
try." 

"Oh-h!"    Joe  danced  with  glee. 

"Mummie  dear,  please  say  yes!"  Lucy's  arms 
were  by  this  time  clasped  so  tightly  around  her 
mother's  neck,  that  the  dear  lady  was  scarcely  able 
to  speak. 

"Would  you  like  to  leave  Grandmother  and  Aunt 
Nell,  and  your  cousins?"  The  tone  of  Mrs.  Gray- 
son's  voice  was  somewhat  reproachful. 

"Oh,  we'll  write  long  letters  and  tell  them  about 
the  parrots  and  monkeys,"  Joe  answered  promptly. 
Brazil  stood  in  his  mind  mainly  for  parrots  and 
monkeys. 

"We  can  send  back  beautiful  parrots  for  Christ- 
mas presents, ' '  added  Lucy  thoughtfully.  *  *  Besides, 
we'll  come  back  again  by  and  by,  and  tell  everybody 
about  what  we've  seen." 

"If  we  go,"  continued  Mr.  Grayson,  "it  must  be 
on  next  week's  steamer.  As  to  the  business  offer,  it 
is  a  matter  of  'now  or  never.'  Shall  I  take  advan- 
tage of  this  chance  to  make  a  fortune,  or  shall  we 
[5] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

go  on  in  the  same  old  way  wondering  if,  by  and  by, 
there  will  be  money  enough  to  send  the  children  to 
college?" 

Mrs.  Grayson  looked  up  at  her  husband  with  clear, 
understanding  eyes.  Her  doubts  were  flying  away 
like  robins  in  the  autumn. 

"Now  or  never,  little  wife.  It  rests  with  you; 
you  know  I  would  not  go  away  and  leave  you  and 
the  kiddies  behind  for  all  the  fortunes  in  the  world. ' ' 

That  settled  it.  For  the  next  few  days  there  was 
a  tremendous  bustle  of  preparation  in  the  Grayson 
household.  Grandma  Stephens  came  over  to  help; 
so  did  Aunt  Nell ;  so  did  Uncle  Ben  as  soon  as  night 
came  and  he  could  leave  his  office. 

At  the  time  of  parting,  Joe  and  Lucy  looked  seri- 
ous for  a  moment — just  a  moment.  But  the  next  in- 
stant everything  else  was  forgotten  in  the  joys  ahead 
of  them — a  long,  long  voyage  on  the  wonderful 
ocean,  and  then,  strange  sights,  strange  people, 
strange  sounds,  strange  and  delicious  fruits  and 
dainties!  Why,  it  seemed  almost  too  lovely  to  be 
true. 

"It  will  be  nearly  as  nice  as  Aladdin's  experiences 
in  the  magic  cave,"  declared  Joe. 

Almost  before  one  could  say  "Jack  Robinson,"  the 
Graysons  were  aboard  the  steamer;  Grandma  Ste- 
phens, and  Uncle  Joe,  and  Aunt  Nell,  and  the  cous- 
ins were  waving  good-by  from  the  shore;  Mrs. 
Grayson  was  choking  back  a  sob,  and  Lucy  trying 
to  hide  a  few  tears,  while  Joe  and  his  father  shouted 
[6] 


GREAT  NEWS 

their  good-bys  as  the  ship  put  off,  as  cheerily  as  if 
they  were  only  leaving  for  a  day 's  picnic. 

"Look  at  the  sunny  side  always,"  Mr.  Grayson 
had  told  his  son.    "That's  the  best  way." 


[7] 


CHAPTER  II 

THE   FIBST   LANDING 

LOOK  quick,  Theresa!" 
Lucy's  voice  was  excited.  She  was  speaking 
to  a  little  Portuguese  girl  with  olive  skin  and  glossy 
black  hair.  The  twins  had  got  acquainted  with  her 
on  the  first  day  of  the  voyage.  She  and  Lucy  were 
now  leaning  against  the  deck  rail  and  peering  down 
into  the  clear  water  below. 

' '  That  must  be  a  dolphin.  Isn  't  it  graceful  ? ' '  con- 
tinued Lucy. 

Theresa  nodded  her  head.  ' '  And  so — pretty, ' '  she 
said  slowly.  She  was  a  timid  little  creature,  only 
a  year  younger  than  Lucy,  but  quite  a  deal  smaller. 
She  was  very  pretty,  but  her  black  eyes  often  had  a 
sad  expression. 

"When  they  are  like  that  I  guess  Theresa  is  think- 
ing of  her  dead  mother,"  Lucy  had  told  Joe  that 
morning. 

"Theresa's  father  told  Daddie  all  about  it,"  re- 
plied Joe,  ' '  and  Daddie  told  me.  Senhor  Vasco  is  a 
diamond  merchant.  A  few  months  ago  he  had  to  go 
to  New  York  on  business.  His  wife  and  Theresa 
went  with  him.  Theresa's  brother  stayed  at  home  in 
Kio  with  his  grandmother.  Well,  Senhora  Vasco 
[9] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

was  taken  dreadfully  sick,  and  died  up  there  among 
strangers.  So  now  her  husband  and  Theresa  are 
coming  back  alone." 

"I'm  going  to  be  just  as  good  to  Theresa  as  I 
know  how,"  declared  Lucy,  and  she  started  off  to 
look  for  the  little  girl  whom  she  had  seen  down  on 
the  lower  deck  a  short  time  before.  And  now  the 
two,  hand  in  hand,  were  watching  for  dolphins  and 
flying  fish  in  the  warm  southern  waters. 

' '  There 's  another,  and  another ! ' '  cried  Lucy,  soon 
after  spying  the  first  dolphin. 

* '  But  the  flying  fish — pretty  soon  they  come  too — 
I  love  them."  English  did  not  come  easily  to 
Theresa's  tongue,  and  she  had  to  hunt  about  in  her 
mind  for  the  right  words. 

Just  then  Joe  appeared. 

"I've  been  having  lots  of  fun,"  he  shouted  as  he 
drew  near.  "I  was  in  the  pilot  house  taking  a  les- 
son in  steering  the  ship.  And  what  do  you  think! 
The  Captain  says  that  any  time  now  we  may  sight 
a  blow." 

1 '  A  blow ! ' '  said  Lucy.    She  did  not  understand. 

"A  blow  is  a  whale,  you  precious  little  goose. 
And,  say !  There  is  a  sure-enough  one  now,  over  to 
the  east."  Joe  was  so  excited  that  he  jumped  up 
and  down. 

Afar  off,  almost  as  far  as  the  children's  eyes 
could  see,  was  what  appeared  like  a  fountain  burst- 
ing up  from  the  surface  of  the  water. 

"Oh-h,  now  I  see  why  you  call  a  whale  a  'blow,'  " 
said  Lucy. 

[10] 


THE  FIRST  LANDING 

"The  next  thing  to  look  out  for  is  the  equator,'* 
said  Joe,  dancing  about  on  one  foot. 

"Daddie  says  we  can't  see  it  when  we  get  there." 
Lucy's  voice  was  full  of  disappointment. 

"And  here  it  is,"  said  some  one  behind  her. 
Senhor  Vasco  had  come  up  unawares. 

"Oh-h!"  cried  the  twins.  And  then  from  Joe, 
gloomily,  "Not  a  single  thing  different." 

"Not  with  the  sea,  my  lad,"  said  Senhor  Vasco 
pleasantly.  "But  with  the  coming  of  evening  you 
will  think  of  the  change  that  has  been  taking  place 
as  we  drew  near  the  equator.  There  is  no  slow 
turning  of  day  into  night  in  this  part  of  the  world. 
The  sun  goes  out  of  sight  as  suddenly  as  a  ball 
falls  to  the  ground.  Then  darkness,  and  almost  at 
once  the  sky  seems  alive  with  the  brightness  of  count- 
less stars." 

The  little  travelers  had  not  begun  to  tire  of  life 
on  shipboard  when  they  neared  the  first  port.  It  was 
Becife,  or  Pernambuco  as  it  is  commonly  called,  on 
the  east  coast  of  Brazil.  Many  vessels  were  now  in 
sight. 

"What  a  queer  looking  rig  ahead  of  us!"  ex- 
claimed Joe.  He  was  standing  in  the  bow  of  the 
steamer  with  his  father  and  Senhor  Vasco. 

"It  is  made  of  logs  like  a  raft,"  the  boy  went 
on,  "but  it  has  a  big  sail." 

"It  is  a  fishing  raft,  clumsy  enough,  but  so  safe 
that  its  owner  may  venture  in  it  a  hundred  miles 
from  shore,"  explained  Senhor  Vasco. 

"Father" — Joe  changed  the  subject  suddenly — 
[11] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"haven't  we  passed  the  mouth  of  the  Amazon  by 
this  time?" 

* '  Certainly.  It  was  after  we  crossed  the  equator, 
but  we  were  too  far  from  shore  to  see  it." 

"Disappointment  number  two,"  said  Joe  gloom- 
ily. ' '  It 's  a  shame  that  we  should  have  been  so  near 
the  biggest  river  in  the  world  and  not  get  even  a  peek 
at  it." 

"Don't  fret,  Joe,"  comforted  Senhor  Vasco. 
"There  is  plenty  of  time  ahead  of  you  to  visit  the 
Amazon  while  you  are  living  in  Brazil." 

The  steamer  was  already  altering  its  course  to  en- 
ter the  harbor  of  Recife,  which  was  shut  in  by  a 
narrow  rocky  ridge  reaching  far  out  into  the  ocean. 
Along  the  top  of  this  ridge  stretched  a  stone  wall 
high  enough  to  break  the  waves  during  even  the 
worst  storms. 

"Recife  means  reef.  It  is  a  good  name  for  the 
city,"  remarked  Senhor  Vasco. 

"The  ship  has  stopped  rolling,"  said  Joe,  half 
to  himself.  "It  is  as  calm  as  a  duck-pond  since  we 
entered  the  harbor ;  yet  the  water  looks  as  if  it  were 
very  deep." 

"That  must  be  why  Recife  is  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant ports  of  Brazil,"  said  Mr.  Grayson. 

The  steamer  was  fast  nearing  a  big  stone  wharf. 
Mrs.  Grayson,  with  Lucy  and  Theresa,  came  up  on 
deck,  ready  for  a  few  hours'  sight-seeing  on  shore. 
As  Senhor  Vasco  had  business  to  attend  to  in  the 
city,  Theresa  was  to  go  about  with  her  new  friends. 

And  now  the  sailors  on  board  were  busy  casting 
[12] 


THE  FIRST  LANDING 

ropes  to  other  men  on  the  pier.  A  moment  after- 
ward the  gangplank  was  thrown  out,  and  the  pas- 
sengers began  to  make  their  way  ashore  to  find  them- 
selves in  the  midst  of  ox-carts  and  queer-looking 
wagons  laden  with  sugar,  cotton,  and  hides ;  horses 
and  mules  also  heavily  laden;  and  negroes  with 
backs  bent  under  their  burdens.  Workmen  on  the 
pier  were  busy  removing  the  loads  and  hoisting  them 
on  board  ships  to  be  carried  to  other  lands.  All 
was  noise  and  bustle. 

"The  people  jabber  like  monkeys.  I  can't  under- 
stand a  word,"  said  Joe  impatiently. 

"Most  of  them  speak  Portuguese,"  explained  his 
father.  "When  you  have  been  in  Brazil  a  few 
months  you  can  take  part  in  the  jabber  yourself." 

Theresa  had  understood  enough  of  what  Joe  said 
to  smile.  She  was  thinking  of  her  stay  in  New  York. 
"It  is  there  that  people  jabber,"  she  said  to  her- 
self. 

"How  hot  the  sun  is!"  panted  Mrs.  Grayson,  as 
the  little  party  stood  waiting  for  a  carriage  in  which 
they  could  drive  around  the  city.  All  felt  quite  com- 
fortable, however,  as  soon  as  they  began  to  move 
fast  through  the  city  streets. 

Theresa 's  face  was  now  full  of  smiles.  The  twins 
wondered.  They  had  never  seen  her  look  so  happy 
before. 

"Why  do  you  keep  smiling?"  Joe  asked  at  last. 

"I  am  glad  to  be  again  in  my  own  country,"  the 
little  girl  said  slowly.  "Brazil — it  is  beautiful 
everywhere. ' ' 

[13] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

As  Theresa  spoke,  the  carriage  was  crossing  a 
bridge  over  an  inlet  from  the  sea.  Tall  palm-trees 
lined  the  road  beyond;  the  broad  leaves  were  wav- 
ing in  the  breeze  as  if  to  welcome  the  travelers. 

"What  a  pretty  park  we  rode  through  a  while 
ago !"  said  Lucy.  "It  was  so  shady  there  under  the 
palms  that  I  longed  to  get  out  and  examine  some  of 
the  strange  plants  about  us." 

"It  seems  queer  to  see  so  many  black  people  on  the 
streets,"  remarked  Joe,  in  a  low  tone,  fearing  the 
negro  driver  might  understand  the  words.  "Why, 
some  of  them  are  dressed  like  rich  ladies  and  gentle- 
men." 

"I  am  told  that  many  of  the  negroes  in  this  city 
have  made  fortunes  in  sugar,"  explained  his  father. 
'  *  More  of  it  is  raised  in  this  state  than  in  any  other 
in  Brazil." 

"This  state?"  asked  Joe. 

"Why,  yes.  Brazil  is  a  republic,  and  is  divided 
into  states  like  our  own  country." 

"And  Brazil  has  a  president,  too,"  chimed  in  The- 
resa, who  had  been  listening  closely. 

The  carriage  had  now  left  the  newer  part  of  the 
city  with  its  fine  avenues  and  was  headed  for  the 
wharves,  near  which  the  streets  were  ugly  and  nar- 
row. 

' '  This  is  where  the  first-comers  must  have  lived, ' ' 
said  Mrs.  Grayson  thoughtfully.    "Think,  children. 
The  Portuguese  settled  here  nearly  one  hundred 
years  before  the  Pilgrims  landed  in  Plymouth." 
[14] 


THE  FIRST  LANDING 

' '  Whew ! ' '  exclaimed  Joe.  ' '  If  it  is  as  old  as  that, 
the  place  has  a  right  to  look  queer  and  dirty. " 

1 '  Oh,  oh ! ' '  broke  in  Theresa.    ' '  See ! ' ' 

The  little  girl  motioned  toward  an  odd-looking 
procession  on  the  way  to  market.  At  the  head  was 
a  man  on  horseback.  His  bare  legs  were  astride 
two  immense  bags  full  of  cotton.  Behind  him  on  a 
mule  rode  his  wife  with  a  green  parrot  perched  on 
her  shoulder ;  it  was  chattering  in  a  harsh  voice.  And 
back  of  these  was  a  whole  train  of  donkeys,  each  one 
laden  with  bags  of  cotton. 

The  children  were  "all  eyes"  as  the  procession 
drew  near.  When  they  discovered  a  monkey  acting 
as  driver  of  one  of  the  mules,  they  laughed  heartily. 

"Look!  That  must  be  a  chicken  pedler  ahead  of 
us,"  said  Mrs.  Grayson  a  minute  afterward.  "He 
has  to  walk,  for  his  donkey  is  loaded  with  crates 
full  of  fowls." 

"They  don't  like  being  shut  up,  if  squawking  is 
any  sign,"  said  Joe.  "But  if  they  aren't  careful 
they  will  get  their  necks  caught  in  the  lattice  work 
as  they  stick  them  out." 

In  another  half -hour  the  travelers  had  been  land- 
ed at  the  pier,  and  boarded  the  ship,  which  was  al- 
ready getting  up  steam. 


[15] 


CHAPTER  III 

INTO   THE  BAY   OF   ALL  SAINTS 

A  DAY'S  run  from  Recife  brought  the  ship  into 
•**•  the  beautiful  Bay  of  San  Salvador.  In  the  long 
ago,  when  Amerigo  Vespucci  discovered  this  broad, 
safe  harbor,  he  called  it  the  Bay  of  All  Saints,  in 
honor  of  the  day  he  entered  it. 

When  still  a  half-mile  from  shore,  the  steamer 
came  to  a  stand-still.  Small  boats  now  drew  up  be- 
side it,  and  the  dark-skinned  owners  sprang  on 
board  to  dicker  with  the  passengers  about  carrying 
them  ashore  to  the  city  of  Bahia. 

"What  fun!"  Joe  whispered  to  his  sister,  as  they 
settled  themselves  with  their  parents,  Senhor  Vasco, 
and  Theresa  in  one  of  these  boats. 

The  strong  strokes  of  the  boatman  brought  them 
quickly  to  a  landing-place,  where  the  travelers  could 
see  little  at  first  except  a  narrow  strip  of  land  on 
which  the  banking  and  shipping  houses  were  packed 
close  together;  behind  these  rose  straight  high 
bluffs. 

"How  are  we  to  get  up  there  on  the  bluffs?"  asked 
Joe. 

"We  can  climb  up  one  of  the  steep  roadways." 
Senhor  Vasco 's  eyes  twinkled  as  he  spoke.    "Or  we 
can  go  up  in  an  elevator, ' '  he  added  after  a  pause. 
[17] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

There  was  a  general  sigh  of  relief  at  this. 

As  the  family  followed  the  other  travelers  on  their 
way  to  the  elevator  the  children's  eyes  were  busy 
with  what  was  going  on  around  them.  Negro  work- 
men were  landing  cargoes,  all  of  which  had  to  be 
brought  to  shore  in  barges  and  small  boats.  Other 
negroes  were  carrying  to  the  water's  edge  bags  of 
tobacco  and  cotton,  bales  of  goatskins  and  hides 
for  return  cargoes.  Black  women  moved  through  the 
narrow  streets  carrying  heavy  loads  on  their  heads ; 
others  sat  at  street  corners  barefooted,  and  with  gay- 
colored  turbans  on  their  heads,  selling  fruits  piled 
up  on  stands  beside  them. 

"Ripe  oranges  that  are  green!  Well,  I  never!" 
cried  Joe,  stopping  a  moment  in  front  of  one  of  the 
stands.  "Besides  all  these  other  fruits  I  don't  know 
the  names  of,"  he  added. 

The  party  now  entered  the  elevator  which  quickly 
brought  them  to  the  cooler  air  of  the  heights  above. 

The  twins  were  glad  to  see  the  governor's  palace 
and  the  many  beautiful  churches  and  public  build- 
ings. But  they  were  more  interested  in  the  strange 
trees  on  every  hand,  the  bright  colors  of  the  houses, 
and  the  beautiful  gardens. 

"I  guess  I've  seen  houses  of  every  color  of  the 
rainbow,"  declared  Lucy,  after  a  half -hour  of  sight- 
seeing. "Let  me  see — over  there  is  one  of  bright 
purple,  and  beside  it  is  one  painted  green." 

"While  straight  ahead  is  one  of  orange,"  contin- 
ued Joe.  ' '  What  funny  taste  the  people  have !  I  like 
it,  though — in  the  shade  of  the  tall  palms  the  houses 
[18] 


INTO  THE  BAY  OF  ALL  SAINTS 

look  cheerful.    No  one  here  ought  to  have  the  blues." 

"Oh-h!  See  that  house !  It's  made  of  tiles — and 
what  pretty  iron  lace-work  over  the  windows  and 
doors ! ' '  said  Mrs.  Grayson  admiringly. 

*  *  Listen !  I  hear  parrots  talking ;  I  'm  sure  of  it ! " 
cried  Joe,  stopping  to  listen.  "I  see  them  now — 
there  are  two  under  that  tree;  each  one  is  fastened 
to  a  stand  by  a  long  chain.  One  is  green  with  crim- 
son tail-feathers  and  the  other  has  a  breast  of  rich 
purple. ' ' 

"Look  at  that  monkey!"  broke  in  Theresa.  She 
pointed  in  the  direction  of  a  shady  path,  in  which  a 
small  dark-skinned  boy  was  walking.  The  boy  wore 
a  white  suit,  and  sandals  on  his  otherwise  bare  feet. 

"I  have  a  dear  monkey  at  home — so  little,"  The- 
resa held  out  her  hands  about  ten  inches  from  each 
other.  ' '  He  sleeps  in  my  lap. ' ' 

' '  Ugh ! ' '  cried  Lucy,  before  she  thought. 

Theresa  looked  grieved.  ' '  Wait — you  will  see  him. 
Then  you  will  love  him,"  she  said  softly. 

"You  certainly  will,"  said  Senhor  Vasco.  "It  is 
an  ouistiti  monkey  and  is  the  prettiest  pet  of  its 
kind  in  the  world.  It  is  found  only  here  in  Brazil. ' ' 

Shortly  afterward,  the  sightseers  boarded  a  car 
to  take  a  ride  about  the  city. 

"Bahia  was  once  the  capital  and  most  important 
city  of  Brazil,"  explained  Senhor  Vasco.  "But  when 
coffee  began  to  be  raised  farther  south,  Bio  became 
the  capital. 

"Let  us  go  back  to  the  beginning,"  he  continued. 
"  As  we  whirl  through  these  fine  streets,  let  us  think 
[19] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

of  the  wilderness  here  long  ago  when  the  brave 
Amerigo  Vespucci,  sailing  under  the  flag  of  Por- 
tugal, entered  this  port.  He  is  standing  on  the  prow 
of  his  ship.  'It  is  the  Day  of  All  Saints,'  he  is  say- 
ing to  his  men.  'In  its  honor  I  will  call  this  the  Bay 
of  All  Saints.'  " 

As  Senhor  Vasco  went  on  talking,  the  children 
seemed  to  be  with  Vespucci  and  his  men,  exploring 
the  coast  south  of  Bahia.  "They  met  wild  Indians ; 
they  ate  strange  fruits;  they  had  adventures  with 
strange  animals ;  and  before  heading  their  ships  for 
Portugal,  they  loaded  them  with  some  of  the  prod- 
ucts of  the  country.  Chief  of  all  was  a  dyewood  to 
which  they  gave  the  name  pau  brazil,  because  it  gave 
a  color  like  coals  of  fire.  Then  away  they  sailed  with 
a  wonderful  story  to  tell  the  King  of  Portugal.1" 

"What  did  he  say  when  he  heard  it?"  broke  in 
Joe. 

Senhor  Vasco  smiled  at  the  boy's  interest. 

"The  King,"  he  replied,  "decided  at  once  to  send 
a  goodly  company  to  Brazil,  for  he  named  his  new 
possessions  after  the  strange  dyewood.  *  They  shall 
build  a  strong  city  there,'  he  said,  'and  shall  send 
me  back  great  riches.' 

"Thus  Bahia  was  settled.  But  troubles  came. 
The  rulers  of  other  lands  wished  to  possess  the  coun- 
try. More  than  once  the  Dutch  laid  hold  of  it,  but 
each  time  the  Portuguese  got  it  back  into  their  own 
hands.  Then  came  the  slave  trade.  Ship  after  ship 
arrived  in  the  harbor,  bringing  thousands  of  negroes 
from  Africa  to  work  the  lands  of  the  Portuguese 
[20] 


INTO  THE  BAY  OF  ALL  SAINTS 

planters.  So  many  were  there  that,  by  the  year  1800, 
more  than  half  the  people  were  slaves.*' 

''Poor  creatures!"  sighed  Lucy.  Her  face  was  so 
sad  that  no  one  looking  at  her  for  the  first  time  could 
imagine  that  dimples  were  hidden  away  in  her  rosy 
cheeks. 

"But  that  bad  time  is  all  over,"  said  Senhor  Vasco 
cheerily.  ' '  There  has  not  been  a  slave  in  the  country 
since  the  year  1888,  directly  after  Brazil  became  a 
republic.  Moreover,  many  of  the  Portuguese  settlers 
have  since  married  negroes.  That  is  why  we  are 
constantly  passing  people  of  all  shades  of  color,  from 
black  to  white." 

"While  they  were  talking,  the  car  sped  on,  and  from 
time  to  time  Senhor  Vasco  pointed  out  different  fine 
buildings — the  beautiful  cathedral,  and  many  grand 
homes. 

Mrs.  Grayson  had  just  exclaimed  at  the  beauty  of 
these  homes  when  Joe  pointed  out  a  fat  negress  com- 
ing down  the  walk. 

"She  actually  waddles,"  said  Lucy.  "Do  look  at 
her  gold  chains  and  bracelets,  and  the  funny  dress. 
It  is  like  a  nightgown  without  sleeves." 

"I'm  dreadfully  hungry,"  declared  Joe  suddenly. 

"Dreadfully  hungry,"  echoed  Theresa,  with  a  long 
sigh. 

"We  are  only  a  little  way  from  a  good  hotel,"  said 
Senhor  Vasco,  laughing.  "If  our  little  folks  are 
suffering  so  much  for  want  of  food,  we  would  best 
go  there  at  once." 

Ten  minutes  afterward  they  were  eating  a  deli- 
[21] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

clous  meal  in  the  big  dining-room  of  the  hotel.  There 
were  several  dishes  which  the  twins  had  never  tasted 
before. 

Senhor  Vasco,  as  well  as  Theresa,  ate  generously 
of  dried  meat.  ' '  We  Brazilians  are  very  fond  of  it, ' ' 
he  told  the  Graysons. 

Joe  and  Lucy  enjoyed  the  dessert  best  of  all. 
There  were  dainty  cakes  and  rich  preserves,  and 
some  of  the  fruit  they  had  wished  to  taste  ever  since 
they  came  on  shore. 

"I  like  this  funny  green  orange,"  said  Joe  ap- 
provingly ;  '  *  and  the  mangoes  are  first  rate. ' ' 

" Isn't  this  caju  queer?"  asked  Lucy,  holding  up 
a  small  fruit  that  looked  like  a  lemon,  but  with  seeds 
growing  out  of  one  end.  "It's  ever  so  sweet,"  she 
continued,  as  she  began  to  eat  it. 

"I  can't  say  I  care  much  for  mangoes,  even  if  they 
are  juicy,"  declared  Mrs.  Grayson,  who  was  tasting 
the  fruit  for  the  first  time. 

"One  has  to  learn  to  like  mangoes.  By  and  by 
you  may  think  them  the  most  delicious  of  all  growing 
things,"  replied  Senhor  Vasco. 

As  soon  as  the  meal  was  over  the  party  took  a 
carriage  ride  to  a  beautiful  suburb  of  Bahia.  They 
passed  through  avenues  of  the  Bahia  palms,  and 
fields  planted  with  banana  trees.  Big  bunches  of 
fruit  were  hanging  down  from  beneath  the  clusters 
of  long  leaves  near  the  top. 

All  too  soon  the  ride  ended,  and  the  travelers 
found  themselves  at  one  of  the  elevators  ready  to 
[22] 


INTO  THE  BAY  OF  ALL  SAINTS 

descend  to  the  lower  town.  As  they  went  down, 
Senhor  Vasco  said,  "When  I  visited  here  as  a  boy  I 
did  not  go  in  this  way;  it  was  in  a  chair  carried  by 
two  negro  porters.  Such  men  were  at  hand  on  every 
street-corner  calling  to  the  passers-by,  'Will  you 
have  a  chair,  sir  ?  Will  you  have  a  chair ! '  ' 

It  was  almost  sunset  when  the  party  was  being 
rowed  out  to  the  waiting  steamer.  As  Lucy  looked 
back  at  the  bright-colored  houses  among  the  palms 
on  the  bluff,  she  said,  * '  Bahia  would  be  a  lovely  place 
to  live  in,  if  it  were  not  so  hot." 

"You  would  quickly  get  used  to  the  heat,"  replied 
Senhor  Vasco.  "At  noon  you  would  take  a  nap  in 
a  cool  grass  hammock.  By  the  time  the  nap  ended 
the  sun  would  be  turned  westward,  a  sea  breeze 
would  have  sprung  up,  and  you  would  be  ready  for 
play." 

"A  nap  in  broad  day!"  cried  Joe  with  scorn. 

' '  Certainly.  Every  one  in  the  tropics  takes  a  nap. 
For  this  reason  the  stores  are  closed  during  the  noon 
hours." 

'  *  What  wretched  little  huts  the  poor  live  in. ' '  Mrs. 
Grayson's  voice  was  full  of  pity.  "I  noticed  those 
along  the  edge  of  the  city.  A  few  lumps  of  clay  stuck 
between  laths,  a  roof  of  thatch — and  the  house  is 
made." 

"You  must  remember  that  the  people  spend  most 
of  their  time  outdoors,  so  the  home  is  not  very  im- 
portant," said  Senhor  Vasco. 

"And  they  don't  need  to  work  much,  with  plenty 
[23] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

of  fruit  to  be  had,  and  cheap   at  that.     As  for 

clothes "    Joe  chuckled.    "They  can't  need  to 

take  much  more  thought  of  them  than  the  monkeys 
do." 


[24] 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  NEW  HOME 

are  fast  nearing  our  new  home,"  said  Mr. 
Grayson,  as  he  sat  with  his  wife  on  the  upper 
deck  of  the  steamer. 

The  sentence  was  hardly  finished  when  Joe  and 
Lucy  came  hop-skipping  down  the  deck.  Theresa 
was  with  them,  tightly  holding  Lucy's  hand  in  her 
own,  because  this  was  her  first  lesson  in  hop- 
skipping. 

4  *  Mother !  Father ! ' '  cried  Joe  as  he  came  nearer. 
4 'We  must  be  almost  there!  Theresa  says  those  are 
her  home  mountains.  Goody!  Goody!" 

The  ship  had  already  turned  inland,  and  was  pass- 
ing through  a  narrow  opening  in  the  waters.  Noble 
mountains  could  be  seen,  rising  straight  up  from 
shore. 

"See!  Over  there  is  the  mountain,  Sugar  Loaf," 
said  Theresa.  "And  on  the  other  side  is  the  Fort  of 
Vera  Cruz. ' ' 

The  ship  was  now  making  its  way  through  a  nar- 
row passage  between  two  islands. 

"When  the  fiist  explorers  sailed  through  this  nar- 
row inlet,"  explained  Senhor  Vasco  who  had  fol- 
lowed the  children,  "they  thought  they  had  entered 
[25] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

the  mouth  of  a  river.  It  was  the  second  day  of  Jan- 
uary. So  they  said,  'We  will  call  this  stream,  Rio 
de  Janeiro/  or  River  of  January,  as  you  would  say 
in  English.  The  name  has  never  been  changed, 
though  instead  of  being  a  river,  this  proved  to  be 
one  of  the  finest,  as  well  as  most  beautiful,  bays  in 
the  world. 

"In  the  long  ago,  before  any  white  man  ventured 
here,"  Senhor  Vasco  went  on,  "the  red  people  .who 
dwelt  on  the  shore  called  these  the  *  Hidden  Waters.  ' 
Even  if  they  could  have  known  of  the  countries 
across  the  great  ocean  they  would  not  have  feared. 
'No  one  can  find  us  behind  the  Hidden  Waters, '  they 
would  have  said  to  each  other. 

"And  now,  children,"  he  said,  leading  them  close 
to  the  deck  rail  where  they  could  look  backward  as 
well  as  forward,  "what  fruit  does  this  harbor  re- 
semble I  We  have  just  passed  through  the  stem  and 
now  we  can  see  the  shape  of  the  body  as  it  opens  up 
before  us." 

"I  know!  I  know!  You  told  me  once,"  said 
Theresa  in  Portuguese. 

"Sh!  See  if  our  little  friends  can  tell  us,"  he  re- 
plied in  the  same  tongue. 

"Why — it's  a — it's  a "    Lucy's  forehead  was 

wrinkled  with  thought. 

"A  pear,  of  course,"  broke  in  Joe. 

' '  Right  you  are.  And  in  this  body  all  the  ships  of 
the  world  could  anchor  at  the  same  time.  Pretty 
big,  isn't  it  I" 

The  children  nodded. 

[26] 


THE  NEW  HOME 

' '  How  many  dear  little  islands  there  are  all  about 
us !  It  seems  as  if  they  were  floating  on  the  top  of 
the  water.  I  keep  being  afraid  we  are  going  to  run 
into  one  of  them  and  knock  it  into  pieces,"  Lucy  said, 
half  to  herself. 

"No  danger!  We  have  a  good  pilot."  Senhor 
Vasco  smiled.  "But  now  turn  your  eyes  toward  the 
shore.  Do  you  see  that  mountain1?  It  is  called  the 
Hunchback.  And  look !  There  is  one  shaped  like  a 
fort,  and  another  like  a  negro's  head." 

' '  Yes,  and  the  trees  on  top  look  like  his  kinky  wool 
— only  they  are  green  instead  of  black. ' ' 

"Quite  true,  Lucy.  But  we  are  fast  nearing  our 
city." 

"It's  beautiful !  And  it  seems  to  be  resting  on  the 
water,  just  as  the  islands  do,  only  it  is  guarded  by 
all  those  lovely  hills  behind  it."  Lucy  clapped  her 
hands  in  delight. 

"A  red  and  white  city,"  said  Mrs.  Grayson. 

* '  The  roofs  are  covered  for  the  most  part  with  red 
tiles.  You  can  see  this  as  we  draw  nearer,"  ex- 
plained Senhor  Vasco. 

' '  Home !  My  dear  home ! ' '  cried  Theresa  in  Portu- 
guese. 

At  that  moment  the  little  girl,  standing  on  the  rail 
with  her  father's  protecting  arms  holding  her  fast, 
began  to  wave  her  handkerchief — she  had  sighted  her 
grandmother  and  brother  among  the  crowd  on  the 
wharf  waiting  for  the  incoming  passengers. 

The  ship  was  already  making  its  way  past  big 
steamers  from  far  lands  and  weather-worn  sailing 
[27] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

vessels,  pleasure  yachts  and  fishermen's  punts. 
Then,  with  scarcely  a  jar,  it  came  to  a  standstill. 
The  voyage  of  more  than  two  weeks  was  over,  and 
a  new  life  lay  before  the  twins. 

"Well,  well!  It  is  a  pleasure  indeed  to  see  you  all 
once  more." 

Such  were  the  words  that  greeted  Mr.  Grayson  as 
he  stepped  on  shore.  The  speaker  was  his  old  f  r  jend, 
Mr.  Joyce,  who  had  left  New  York  years  before  to 
seek  his  fortune  in  Brazil. 

"A  pleasure  indeed!  I  hoped  you  would  be  here 
to  meet  us,  Tom." 

The  two  men  were  already  gripping  each  other's 
hands  with  hearty  good  will. 

Mr.  Joyce  now  turned  to  greet  the  rest  of  the  fam- 
ily. 

"You  haven't  changed  a  bit,"  he  said  to  Mrs. 
Grayson.  "But  dear,  dear!"  he  went  on,  smiling  at 
the  twins.  "I  haven't  seen  you  two  since  you  were 
roly-poly  babies,  and  one  could  scarcely  tell  you 
apart.  And  now,  what  big  youngsters  you  are ! ' ' 

"It  is  no  use  to  try  to  talk  here,  however,"  he  con- 
tinued, turning  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grayson.  "Let  us 
go  at  once  to  a  hotel.  There  you  can  rest  and  at  the 
same  time  plan  about  your  future  home.  I  have  been 
on  the  lookout  and  think  I  have  found  the  very  place 
to  suit  you.  Here  is  my  motor  car.  Mrs.  Grayson, 
let  me  help  you  in.  Joe  and  Lucy,  you  shall  ride  in 
front." 

Lucy  had  barely  seated  herself  when  she  burst  into 
tears. 

[28] 


THE  NEW  HOME 

"0  dear!  0  dear!"  she  sobbed.  "I  was  so  ex- 
cited I  didn't  bid  Theresa  good-by.  What  will  she 
think  of  me?" 

' '  Don 't  worry,  dear, ' '  comforted  her  father.  ' '  No 
doubt  Theresa  was  as  excited  as  you,  and  thought 
only  of  meeting  her  own  people.  I  have  the  address 
— Senhor  Vasco  gave  it  to  me,  and  said  he  wished  to 
see  us  a  great  deal  at  his  home." 

Lucy  gave  a  sigh  of  relief  and  settled  herself  to 
enjoy  the  strange  sights  around  her.  At  the  same 
time  Mr.  Grayson  said  to  his  wife  in  a  low  tone, 
' '  Senhor  Vasco  took  a  great  liking  to  our  youngsters. 
He  said  he  could  wish  no  better  playmates  for  his 
children. ' ' 

"Senhor  Vasco,  did  you  say?"  asked  Mr.  Joyce, 
catching  the  name. 

"Yes." 

"He  is  one  of  the  richest  and  most  important  men 
in  Bio.  Moreover,  every  one  admires  him  as  a  true 
gentleman. ' ' 

"Father!  Mother!"  Joe  broke  in.  "Please, 
please  look!" 

The  auto  had  by  this  time  turned  into  a  broad  ave- 
nue. It  was  lined  with  handsome  buildings  before 
which  stood  rows  of  tall  trees.  Through  the  middle 
of  the  avenue  "there  were  beautifully  wrought  lamp- 
posts between  trees  like  those  bordering  the  side- 
walks. 

* '  This  is  the  loveliest  place ! ' '  exclaimed  Lucy. 

"Those  are  some  of  our  famous  Brazil  trees,"  said 
[29] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

Mr.  Joyce.  "They  alone  would  make  any  avenue 
beautiful." 

"How  clean  the  city  is!"  said  Mrs.  Grayson. 

' '  When  I  came  here,  Bio  was  already  a  noble  city. '  ' 
Mr.  Joyce  spoke  with  pride.  '  *  But  the  people  were 
not  satisfied.  They  tore  down  old  parts  and  rebuilt 
them.  Among  the  good  things  done,  you  see  this 
avenue  which  runs  through  the  center  of  the  city. 
Hence  its  name,  Avenida  Central." 

"So  many  autos  make  me  think  of  New  York," 
said  Joe. 

"But  not  that  pedler  with  the  queer  little  house 
on  his  head,"  added  Lucy.  "What  is  the  man  do- 
ing?" 

"That  little  house  is  filled  with  sweeties,"  said  Mr. 
Joyce.  "Didn't  you  just  hear  the  man  calling  out 
his  wares?" 

"I  heard  him  shouting,  but  it  was  in  Portuguese." 
Lucy  pouted.  " 0  dear !"  she  went  on.  "I'm  going 
to  hurry  as  fast  as  I  can  to  learn  more  of  the  lan- 
guage." 

* '  Look  over  there,  quick ! ' '  said  Joe.  ' '  People  are 
actually  sitting  on  the  sidewalks  and  drinking  coffee 
there!" 

"Tables  are  often  set  in  front  of  the  cafes,"  said 
Mr.  Joyce,  smiling  at  the  lad's  amusement. 

The  motor  car  soon  came  to  a  standstill  in  front 
of  a  large  hotel,  and  porters  in  uniform  came  hurry- 
ing out  to  help  the  travelers  alight. 

"Now  for  a  good  Rio  dinner,"  said  Mr.  Joyce. 
"Afterward  we  had  better  ride  out  to  the  house 
[30] 


THE  NEW  HOME 

of  which  I  spoke.  It  is  all  furnished.  The  family 
who  own  it  have  gone  to  New  York  for  three  years. ' ' 

That  afternoon  the  Graysons  and  Mr.  Joyce  rode 
out  to  see  the  house  he  had  chosen  for  them.  It  stood 
on  the  slope  of  a  hill  overlooking  the  water. 

"  Won't  it  seem  queer  to  live  in  a  house  painted  a 
bright  yellow,  with  a  red  roof?"  said  Lucy,  as  she 
ran  up  the  steps.  ''Joe,  look  at  that  orange-tree 
close  to  the  piazza !  Only  think  of  having  an  orange- 
tree  with  live  oranges  on  it  in  one 's  own  yard ! ' ' 

The  word  live  set  everybody  laughing. 

"But  that's  nothing  to  a  bread-fruit  tree!"  Joe 
fairly  shouted  the  words.  *  *  It  is  a  bread-fruit  tree, 
isn't  it,  Mr.  Joyce?" 

"Yes;  and  if  you  get  a  monkey  and  a  parrot,  you 
can  feed  your  pets  with  the  fruit." 

While  he  was  talking,  Mr.  Joyce  opened  the  big 
front  door,  and  now  led  the  way  inside. 

"How  odd!"  Mrs.  Grayson  laughed  softly  as  she 
entered  the  long  parlor.  '  *  This  is  a  pleasant  room ; 
but,  dear  me,  how  stiff  everything  looks !  The  sofas 
and  chairs  are  set  back  against  the  walls  as  if  they 
were  glued  there  and  must  not  look  at  each  other 
even  out  of  the  corners  of  their  eyes. ' ' 

"We'll  soon  make  a  cosy  place  of  it,"  comforted 
Mr.  Grayson.  "When  we  look  out  of  these  big  win- 
dows, we  can  see  avenues  of  palms  and  gardens  full 
of  blossoms." 

"And  the  sea  with  the  big  ships,"  chimed  in  Joe. 

On  the  way  back  to  the  hotel  Mr.  Grayson  said  to 
the  twins:  "I  have  a  pleasant  surprise  for  you. 
[31] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

Mr.  Joyce  tells  me  that  Senhor  Vasco  lives  only  a 
short  distance  from  our  new  home. ' ' 

' '  Goody  guy  1 ' '  exclaimed  Joe.  *  *  And  as  Theresa 's 
brother  is  only  two  years  older  than  I  am,  we  can 
have  great  sport  together." 

"You  must  not  be  disappointed  if  he  does  not  play 
ball  and  turn  somersaults,  though."  Mr.  Joyce's 
eyes  twinkled.  ' '  Portuguese  children  are  not  as  ac- 
tive as  young  New  Yorkers. ' ' 

"Theresa  was  ever  so  quiet  on  shipboard,"  said 
Lucy  thoughtfully.  ' '  But  I  thought  that  was  because 
she  was  feeling  sad  about  her  mother. ' ' 

"Very  likely  she  was  more  quiet  than  usual.  I 
still  think,  however,  you  will  find  your  Bio  playmates 
less  active  than  the  old  ones." 

Early  the  next  morning,  the  Graysons  moved  into 
the  house  on  the  hillside.  Before  night  a  jolly  negro 
cook,  Caesar,  was  ruling  in  the  kitchen,  and  a  house- 
maid, also  black,  set  the  furniture  about  in  American 
fashion  under  Mrs.  Gray  son's  direction.  The  twins 
were  completely  happy  when  Mr.  Joyce  appeared  in 
the  evening  with  a  beautiful  green  and  crimson  par- 
rot. 

"Thank  you!  Thank  you!"  cried  they.  Then, 
with  the  next  breath,  Joe  asked :  * '  Can  he  talk,  Mr. 
Joyce?" 

"A  few  Portuguese  words,  Joe.  You  will  have  to 
teach  him  some  English." 

"Let's  begin  with  'Polly  wants  a  cracker,'  "  said 
Lucy. 

"Pooh!  That's  too  common.  Let's  teach  him  our 
[32] 


THE  NEW  HOME 

names  first,  so  he  can  call  us,"  replied  Joe;  and  set 
out  to  give  a  lesson  at  once. 

Poll,  however,  not  feeling  acquainted,  only  ruffled 
up  his  handsome  feathers. 

''Time  enough,"  said  Mr.  Joyce,  smiling  at  their 
eagerness.  "In  a  little  while  the  bird  will  reward 
you,  for  he  is  unusually  bright." 

The  second  day  in  the  new  home  brought  another 
surprise  for  the  twins.  This  was  the  coming  of  a 
young  English  girl  to  be  their  governess. 

"Miss  Lee  is  so  pretty,  I  like  to  look  at  her,"  Joe 
whispered  to  his  sister,  as  they  left  the  room  where 
they  had  just  had  their  first  real  lesson  in  Portu- 
guese. 

"I  could  hug  her  this  minute,"  Lucy  whispered 
back.  "She's  so  kind  and  sweet  that  she  made  our 
lesson  seem  as  much  fun  as  a  game."  Then,  think- 
ing of  the  little  friend  on  shipboard,  she  added, ' '  We 
are  like  Theresa  now,  for  she  told  me  that  she  always 
had  a  governess  at  home." 


[33] 


CHAPTER  V 

GETTING  ACQUAINTED 

rpHEKE,  Joe!    At  last  Polly  can  talk  English  I " 
*    Lucy  clapped  her  hands.    ' '  It  was  plain  as  any- 
thing." 

As  she  spoke,  the  parrot  watched  her  with  his 
bright  eyes.  Now,  cocking  his  head  on  one  side  he 
called,  "Lucy,  Lucy — goo-o-d  girl!  goo-d  girl!" 

"Well  done,  old  fellow.  Now  you  shall  get  your 
reward."  Joe,  smoothing  Polly's  feathers  softly, 
held  out  a  piece  of  banana  which  the  bird  seized  and 
devoured  eagerly. 

"But,  I  say,  Lucy!  What's  that?"  said  Joe  the 
next  instant,  looking  toward  the  street. 

The  children  were  in  the  side  garden  under  the 
bread-fruit  tree,  where  they  had  brought  the  parrot 
to  play  in  the  shade. 

A  man  was  drawing  near  the  house  with  a  pack  on 
his  back,  and  two  measuring  sticks  which  he  was 
busily  clapping. 

"  He 's  going  to  stop  here.  Let 's  send  him  away, ' ' 
said  Lucy.  "Mother  is  taking  a  nap,  and  doesn't 
wish  to  be  disturbed." 

By  this  time  the  pedler  had  come  up  to  the  gate. 
Still  clapping  the  sticks,  he  began  to  speak  in  a  high 
voice. 

[35] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"Portuguese,  of  course,"  Joe  whispered  to  his  sis- 
ter. "But  I  think  I  understand.  He  has  dress  goods 
to  sell.  He  probably  measures  them  off  with  those 
sticks. 

"  No !  No ! ' '  Joe  had  now  turned  toward  the  man, 
and  shook  his  head  as  he  spoke. 

"  No !  No ! "  repeated  Poll,  looking  very  wise,  and 
the  pedler  went  slowly  on  his  way. 

"People  here  are — well — I  call  them  lazy,"  said 
Lucy.  ' '  No  one  is  ever  in  a  hurry. ' ' 

"Let's  go  up  on  the  veranda  and  swing  in  the 
hammocks,"  said  Joe.  "We'll  ask  Caesar  to  make 
some  limeade,  and  give  us  some  of  those  nice  cakes 
he  makes — he  calls  them  doces." 

As  the  twins  settled  themselves  in  the  hammocks, 
Lucy  said  dolefully,  ' '  0  dear !  we  've  been  here  four 
whole  days,  and  I  haven't  heard  from  Theresa  yet. 
I'm  afraid  she's  forgotten  me." 

"And  I  want  to  see  her  brother.  You  are  all  right, 
Lucy,  but  you  are  only  a  girl,  you  know.  And  I'd 
like  to  get  acquainted  with  some  Rio  boys. ' ' 

Joe's  words  didn't  make  Lucy  feel  any  better,  and 
the  tears  began  to  roll  down  her  cheeks.  Then  sud- 
denly a  sound  was  heard,  as  if  a  carriage  had  stopped 
in  front  of  the  house. 

Lucy  rubbed  her  eyes. 

"Who  can  it  be?"  she  cried  excitedly.  "Do  you 
s  'pose ' ' 

By  this  time  Joe  had  bounded  to  the  end  of  the 
veranda.  Peering  through  the  trees,  he  saw  a  grand- 
looking  open  carriage  with  silver  trimmings.  In 
[36] 


GETTING  ACQUAINTED 

front  sat  a  black  driver  in  livery  holding  in  a  pair  of 
spirited  black  horses.  A  boy  in  a  white  suit  was 
sitting  beside  him.  In  the  back  seat  were  two  people 
— one  was  a  tiny  old  lady,  but  Joe  could  not  see  the 
other. 

"I  say,"  he  whispered,  running  back  to  Lucy. 
"I'll  bet  anything  it  is  the  carriage  of  Senhor  Vasco, 
with  Carlos  on  the  front  seat." 

"Don't  say  bet,  Joe.  It  isn't  nice."  Lucy  had 
still  in  mind  Joe's  remark  about  her  being  only  a 
girl.  "Let's  run  and  tell  mother,  for  the  people  are 
going  to  get  out,"  she  added. 

Five  minutes  afterward  Mrs.  Grayson  entered  the 
drawing-room,  followed  by  the  twins  and  Miss  Lee. 
"We  will  need  your  help  in  talking,  I  feel  sure,"  she 
had  said  to  the  young  governess.  '  *  We  know  such  a 
tiny  bit  of  Portuguese,  and  Senhor  Vasco  has  told 
me  that  his  mother  speaks  no  English." 

It  was  an  easy  matter,  however,  to  get  acquainted 
with  the  dear  old  lady  with  bright  black  eyes,  who 
talked  quite  as  much  with  her  dainty  little  hands 
as  with  her  tongue.  Carlos,  moreover,  a  handsome 
boy,  knew  a  good  deal  of  English  which  he  had 
learned  at  school.  And  as  for  shy  little  Theresa — 
for  she  it  was  who  had  sat  beside  her  grandmother 
in  the  carriage — why,  Lucy  and  she  were  hugging  and 
kissing  each  other  before  one  could  say  "Jack  Rob- 
inson." 

The  call  was  a  merry  one.  There  was  much  laugh- 
ter over  Mrs.  Grayson  and  Senhora  Vasco  trying  to 
understand  each  other,  though  Miss  Lee  was  ever 
[37] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

ready  to  help.  The  boys  were  a  bit  bashful  at  first ; 
but  after  black  coffee  had  been  served  to  the  ladies 
and  limeade  to  the  children,  with  cakes  for  all,  the 
stiffness  was  over.  Then  Joe  proposed  a  visit  to  the 
parrot  and  the  garden,  and  all  four  children  went 
outside,  where  they  were  soon  acting  "natural,"  as 
Lucy  said  afterward.  And  when  Carlos  climbed  the 
banana-tree,  to  show  Joe  how  easy  it  was  to  wriggle 
up  the  queer  straight  trunk,  Joe  felt  as  if  they  were 
already  old  friends.  Then,  when  Poll  was  introduced 
and  spoke  the  first  English  words  he  had  learned, 
there  was  more  fun. 

"I  have  pets  too,"  Carlos  told  the  twins.  "An 
iguana  and  two  macaws. ' ' 

"And  my  little  monkey,"  broke  in  Theresa.  "Oh, 
won 't  you  come  to  our  house  quick — very  quick  f ' ' 

"Indeed  we  will,"  said  Joe  emphatically;  while 
Lucy's  answer  was  a  hug. 

Just  then,  Miss  Lee  appeared  at  a  side  door. 

' '  Come,  children, ' '  she  called.  ' '  The  Senhora  says 
it  is  time  to  go. ' ' 

So  the  visit  ended.  As  the  Senhora,  in  the  fashion 
of  Portuguese  ladies,  made  several  pretty  curtsies 
while  bidding  her  good-bys,  she  promised  to  send  her 
carriage  the  next  day  to  take  the  twins  and  Miss  Lee 
for  a  ride  with  Carlos  and  Theresa. 


[38] 


Photo  by  E.  M.  Newman 

ONE  OF  RIO  DE  JANEIRO'S  BEAUTIFUL  PALM  AVENUES 


CHAPTER  VI 

SIGHTSEEING 

T  T  seems  as  if  I  couldn't  wait  any  longer,"  said 
•^   Joe,  impatiently. 

It  was  two  o'clock  and  the  twins  were  already 
dressed  in  their  best  "bib  and  tucker"  and  walking 
up  and  down  the  veranda  in  readiness  for  the  prom- 
ised ride,  though  the  carriage  was  not  expected  till 
three. 

"In  the  early  afternoon  Bio  is  like  the  home  of  the 
'Sleeping  Beauty.'  "  Lucy  spoke  a  little  crossly. 
"Everything  stops  and  everybody  curls  up  in  a  ham- 
mock." 

"I  wonder  how  Carlos  and  I  will  get  along,"  said 
Joe,  changing  the  subject. 

"Mother  likes  Carlos.  She  says  he  is  so  gentle 
and  polite,  he  can  teach  you  some  things,  Joe. ' ' 

"  Urn !  Well,  for  all  that,  there 's  a  fire  in  his  black 
eyes  that  wouldn't  be  pleasant  in  a  quarrel." 

"Here  comes  Miss  Lee.  Doesn't  she  look  pretty 
in  that  white  hat  with  pink  roses?" 

As  Lucy  spoke,  she  skipped  away  to  meet  the 
young  governess.    At  the  same  moment  the  carriage 
drew  up,  with  the   smiling  faces   of   Carlos   and 
Theresa  bent  toward  the  house. 
[39] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

As  his  guests  settled  themselves  in  the  carriage, 
Carlos  said  to  them :  ' 'If  it  pleases  you,  we  will  ride 
through  the  Ouvidor,  visit  some  parks,  go  to  the 
market,  and  spend  the  rest  of  the  time  in  the  Botani- 
cal Gardens.  So  my  grandmother  planned. ' ' 

With  a  flourish  of  his  whip,  the  driver  now  started 
his  horses.  On  flew  the  carriage  over  the  smooth 
road.  Each  moment  the  twins  saw  something  new. 
Here  was  a  lady  leaning  from  her  window  and  crook- 
ing her  finger  at  an  acquaintance  passing  below,  to 
attract  attention.  Over  there  was  a  girl  making  an 
odd  motion  to  a  friend  in  the  opposite  house;  this 
motion,  Miss  Lee  explained  to  the  twins,  meant, 
1 ' Good  day  to  you." 

Again  a  pedler  attracted  the  children's  attention. 
He  bore  a  wicker  crate  on  his  head,  in  which  the 
sightseers  could  hear  a  loud  squawking;  the  man  was 
carrying  live  chickens  to  sell  at  the  houses  which  he 
passed.  Still  another  man  bore  a  tempting  load  of 
cakes  and  candies.  When  Carlos  saw  him,  he  or- 
dered the  coachman  to  stop  to  let  him  buy  some  for 
his  friends. 

As  they  turned  a  corner  into  Avenida  Central, 
the  twins  noticed  a  large  and  beautiful  building. 

"That  is  the  Monroe  Palace,"  explained  Miss  Lee. 
1 '  An  exact  copy  of  it  was  set  up  at  the  St.  Louis  Ex- 
position a  few  years  ago  to  show  Americans  what 
fine  buildings  may  be  found  in  Brazil." 

Soon  afterward  the  carriage  entered  a  little  park 
where  the  twins  found  so  many  trees  and  plants  un- 
[40] 


SIGHTSEEING 

like  any  they  had  ever  seen  before  that  all  they  were 
able  to  say  was  one  long, ' '  Oh-h ! ' ' 

On  whirled  the  carriage,  and  the  party  soon  found 
themselves  in  a  still  larger  park  where  Carlos  pointed 
out  the  statues  of  some  famous  Brazilians. 

'  *  And  next  we  will  ride  past  the  Ouvidor, ' '  he  said. 
"  It  is  the  busiest  street  in  our  city ;  but  as  it  is  nar- 
row, carriages  and  automobiles  as  well  as  trucks 
aren't  allowed  to  enter  it  at  this  time  of  day.'* 

Joe  looked  a  bit  disappointed. 

Seeing  this,  Carlos  added  quickly,  "We  can  get 
out  at  the  corner,  however,  and  walk  down  a  little 
way." 

Accordingly,  when  the  Ouvidor  was  reached,  the 
carriage  was  left  in  charge  of  the  driver,  and  Miss 
Lee  and  the  children  began  to  make  their  way  along 
the  crowded  street. 

"There  are  all  kinds  of  people  here,"  remarked 
Joe.  "I  can  see  Portuguese  and  negroes  and  Amer- 
icans and,  yes — Italians." 

"Englishmen  and  Spaniards  also,"  said  Miss  Lee 
quietly.  ' '  As  yet,  Joe,  I  doubt  whether  you  and  your 
sister  can  tell  the  difference  between  the  Spaniards 
and  Portuguese,  and  between  the  Americans  and 
English." 

"How  gaily  the  buildings  are  painted!"  exclaimed 
Lucy.  "Joe,  do  look  at  those  flagpoles  reaching  out 
from  the  stores  just  over  the  heads  of  the  passers-by. 
They  make  me  think  of  the  Fourth  of  July." 

1 1  Ah,  but  our  market ! ' '  said  Carlos,  who  had  been 
enjoying  the  twins'  interest  in  so  many  sights  new 
[41] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

to  them.  "You  shall  be  proud  of  it  with  me.  So  let 
us  say  good-by  to  the  Ouvidor  for  to-day  and  make 
our  way  there. ' ' 

"On  the  waterfront,"  said  Joe  delightedly,  as  the 
party  drove  up  shortly  afterward  before  the  big 
market. 

"We  will  get  out;  then  you  shall  see  much,"  said 
the  young  host,  springing  gracefully  from  the  car- 
riage and  turning  to  help  Miss  Lee  alight. 

' '  How  lovely ! ' '  cried  Lucy,  stopping  before  a  long 
stand  where  oranges,  bananas,  pineapples  and  man- 
goes were  piled  up,  besides  other  fruits  whose  names 
she  did  not  know.  She  drew  a  long  sniff  of  delight. 
' '  Mangoes  have  a  delicious  smell ! ' '  she  added. 

' '  Urn — m ! ' '  said  Joe  sympathetically.  '  *  And  what 
are  these?"  He  pointed  to  a  pile  of  mammee  apples, 
as  big  as  cannon  balls. 

"Mammee  apples  are  good  and  sweet  and  make 
delicious  jam,"  said  Theresa,  who  was  standing  be- 
side him.  '  *  Very  good !  But  I  like  fresh  figs  better. ' ' 

' '  It  seems  queer  that  we  left  autumn  behind  us  in 
New  York  and  jumped  into  spring  here,"  said  Lucy, 
as  the  party  moved  on. 

1 '  We  are  upside  down, ' '  laughed  Joe.  * '  And  some 
things  here  are  inside  out,"  he  added,  as  they  passed 
a  stand  piled  with  fish  whose  eyes  stuck  far  out  of 
their  heads. 

On  wandered  Miss  Lee  and  the  children,  past  piles 
of  salted  beef  and  pork,  till  they  came  to  the  place 
where  the  air  was  filled  with  the  screeches  of  bright- 
feathered  parrots  and  cockatoos,  the  singing  of  birds, 
[42] 


SIGHTSEEING 

the  cackling  of  fowls,  and  the  grunting  of  guinea 
pigs.  The  monkeys  interested  the  twins  most  of  all. 
Big  monkeys  and  little,  grandfather  monkeys  and 
baby  monkeys,  looked  down  at  the  children  below 
with  wise  eyes,  as  much  as  to  say,  "What  do  you 
think  of  me?" 

On  leaving  the  market  the  sightseers  drove  to  the 
Botanical  Gardens.  As  the  carriage  entered  an  ave- 
nue lined  with  royal  palms,  Lucy  exclaimed : 

' '  Why !  They  are  as  tall  as  some  of  our  New  York 
sky-scrapers!" 

"Look  at  the  soft  gray  bark — and  then  overhead," 
said  Carlos. 

All  turned  their  eyes  upward.  Far  above  them 
the  feathery  leaves  spread  out,  making  a  beautiful 
green  archway. 

The  driver  soon  turned  his  horses  into  another 
beautiful  avenue,  where  the  party  got  out  to  explore 
for  themselves. 

For  the  first  time  in  their  lives,  the  twins  saw 
cinnamon,  clove,  and  nutmeg  trees.  They  stopped 
to  admire  the  pretty  yellow  blossoms  of  a  cinnamon 
tree. 

"Do  these  blossoms  change  into  nuts  from  which 
we  get  our  cinnamon?"  asked  Lucy. 

"No,"  said  Miss  Lee.  "It  is  the  bark  of  the  tree 
which  furnishes  the  spice.  But  the  nutmegs  grow 
like  any  other  nuts." 

"Look!  This  is  a  cow-tree."  As  Carlos  spoke, 
he  pointed  to  a  tree  which  his  guests  were  passing 
[43] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

without  notice.  ' '  Tap  this ;  you  then  get  a  drink  like 
milk,"  he  added. 

"You  can  find  here  almost  all  things  that  grow  in 
Brazil,"  said  Miss  Lee. 

It  was  even  so;  before  leaving  the  Gardens,  the 
children  saw  rubber-trees,  palms  of  many  different 
kinds,  camphor-trees,  and  so  many  others  that  Lucy 
and  Joe  almost  lost  their  breath  in  trying  to  tell  their 
parents  about  them  afterward.  The  bamboos  pleased 
them  most.  They  were  so  pretty  and  graceful,  and 
grew  so  thickly  together  that  they  gave  a  pleasant 
shade. 

"See!"  cried  Theresa,  pointing  to  some  immense 
red  and  gold  butterflies  flitting  gaily  about  in  a  sunny 
spot.  "And  there,  there!"  she  continued,  looking 
toward  a  bush  among  whose  leaves  a  humming-bird 
was  flitting.  The  bird's  back  was  of  a  deep  rich  blue, 
and  its  tail  was  very  long. 

"What  a  beauty!  Maybe  its  nest  is  hidden  away 
in  that  bush ! ' '  exclaimed  Joe,  creeping  softly  toward 
it. 

"I  fear  we  must  not  stop  for  any  more  discov- 
eries," said  Miss  Lee.  "The  sun  is  near  its  setting, 
and  we  had  better  think  of  home.  But  do  look,  chil- 
dren, in  passing,  at  the  orchids  whose  vines  festoon 
the  branches  of  yonder  tree." 

"0  dear!    I  hate  to  leave,"  said  Lucy,  sighing. 

"Other  days  are  coming,  you  know,"  comforted 
Miss  Lee,  as  she  led  the  way  to  the  carriage. 


[44] 


CHAPTER  VII 

AMONG  THE  COFFEE  FIELDS 

IV/r UMMIE !  Mummie ! ' '  called  the  twins  as  they 
•*••*•  flew  into  the  house.  "We've  had  such  a  good 
time ! ' '  And  with  these  words,  they  ran  straight,  not 
into  their  mother's  arms,  but  their  father's. 

' '  I  'm  so  glad  you  Ve  got  home, ' '  said  Lucy,  giving 
Mr.  Grayson's  cheek  a  loving  pinch.  "  You've  been 
late  almost  every  evening,  so  I  didn't  expect  to  see 
you  now. ' ' 

"I  have  been  late,  I  know,  but  there  has  been  a 
great  deal  of  work  in  my  getting  settled  in  the  new 
business.  But  now  I  begin  to  see  daylight,"  replied 
her  father.  "Where  have  you  been  to-day,  little 
folks?" 

"Over  to  the  Palace,"  said  Joe.  The  home  of 
Senhor  Vasco  was  so  grand  that  Joe  and  Lucy  had 
given  it  this  name. 

'  *  We  Ve  had  a  splendid  time, ' '  said  Lucy.  * '  First 
we  played  with  the  pets.  I  don't  care  much  for  the 
macaws.  They  can't  talk  as  much  as  other  kinds  of 
parrots.  Their  voices  are  so  shrill,  I  sometimes  want 
to  cover  my  ears  when  they  call.  Senhora  Vasco 
doesn't  like  to  have  them  in  the  house,  so  Carlos 
keeps  them  out  in  the  yard  in  a  little  place  his  father 
had  built  for  them." 

[45] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"But  they  are  beauties,*'  broke  in  Joe.  "I'd  like 
to  see  any  birds  handsomer — bright  red  feathers  al- 
most all  over  their  bodies,  with  deep  blue  wings. 
They  are  really  very  wise  birds.  I  enjoyed  watching 
the  iguana,  too.  Its  back  is  such  a  pretty  green.  It 
is  young  yet — not  three  feet  long.  An  iguana,  you 
know,  is  a  big  kind  of  lizard  and  almost  all  tail." 

"I  like  Theresa's  little  monkey  best,"  said  Lucy. 
"Do  you  know,  Daddie,  it  went  to  sleep  on  my  lap 
this  morning,  and  when  it  woke  up,  it  jumped  down 
on  the  tiger  skin  on  the  floor  and  rolled  over  like  a 
kitten." 

"What  did  you  do  besides  play  with  the  pets?" 
asked  Mr.  Grayson. 

"Of  course  we  spent  a  long  time  at  the  dinner 
table.  We  had  chicken  and  pork,"  said  Lucy,  "and 
a  queer  sort  of  hash  made  of  meat  and  farina " 

"And  queer  little  hard  biscuit,  and  jaboticabas," 
added  Joe.  "The  jaboticabas  are  like  plums.  Car- 
los told  me  they  have  no  stems,  but  grow  right  out  of 
the  trunk  of  the  tree." 

"But  what  did  you  children  play?" 

' '  Theresa  and  I  kept  house  with  our  dolls  most  of 
the  time,"  said  Lucy. 

"And  Carlos  and  I  flew  parrots,"  said  Joe. 

"Flew  parrots?" 

'  *  Yes,  Daddie ;  paper  ones  with  long  tails.  Carlos 
has  other  lovely  kites  too,  different  from  any  I  ever 
saw.  Then  we  played  some  quiet  games  in  the  house, 
and  after  that" — Joe's  eyes  danced — "I  got  Carlos 
to  have  a  match  with  me  turning  somersaults.  At 
[46] 


AMONG  THE  COFFEE  FIELDS 

first  he  was  slow,  but  he  soon  got  the  hang  of  it; 
and  what  do  you  think,  Daddie — he  finally  beat  me 
out!" 

Mr.  Grayson  laughed. 

"What  do  you  suppose  Carlos  told  me  to-day1?" 
Joe  went  on.  "He  said:  'You  always  seem  to  think 
of  me  and  Theresa  as  Portuguese.  So  we  are,  for 
our  grandparents  came  from  Portugal;  but  we  are 
Brazilians  because  my  family  adopted  this  country. 
Besides  this,  we  are  Americans  just  like  you,  only  I 
have  always  lived  in  South  America,  while  your  home 
is  North  America.'  " 

"What  did  you  say  to  that?"  asked  Mr.  Grayson. 

' '  That  I  had  never  thought  about  it  before,  but  I 
was  glad,  because  that  made  Carlos  my  brother." 

"Very  good,  Joe.  And  now,  perhaps,  you  and 
Lucy  would  like  to  hear  some  pleasant  news. ' ' 

"What  is  it?"  cried  the  twins. 

"Come  to  dinner,  dears,"  called  their  mother,  ap- 
pearing in  the  doorway. 

As  soon  as  the  family  was  settled  around  the  table, 
Mr.  Grayson  said : 

"The  business  is  now  running  smoothly,  so  I  can 
leave  the  city  for  a  few  days  to  visit  some  rich  coffee 
lands  where  berries  we  ship  from  Bio  are  raised." 

' '  And  you  will  take  us  with  you  ? ' '  cried  Joe,  jump- 
ing up  from  the  table  in  his  excitement. 

'  *  To-morrow, ' '  replied  his  father,  with  a  sly  smile 
at  his  wife. 

"To-morrow!"  cried  Mrs.  Grayson.  "Why,  we 
can't  get  ready  so  soon." 

[47] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"You  said  'can't'  once  before  about  leaving  New 
York  so  suddenly."  Mr.  Grayson  smiled.  "But  we 
managed  it  all  right.  And  really,  I  must  take  advan- 
tage of  the  present  time,  or  not  go  at  all. ' ' 

The  result  was  that  the  next  day  the  Graysons 
left  Eio  on  a  train  bound  for  Sao  Paulo,  the  second 
largest  city  in  Brazil. 

The  way  led  first  up  among  the  mountains.  •  The 
twins  were  kept  busy  looking  at  the  different  sights 
to  be  seen  from  the  train  windows.  Perhaps  it  was 
a  view  of  the  distant  sea  from  a  lofty  point  on  a 
mountain  slope.  Again  it  was  a  river  whose  banks 
were  covered  with  tropical  trees.  Most  interesting 
of  all  were  colonies  of  ant  hills  as  big  as  beehives^- 

When  the  train  stopped  at  the  wayside  stations, 
Mr.  Grayson  often  took  the  children  out  on  the  plat- 
form to  watch  the  country  people  gathered  there. 
Many  of  them  were  Italians  who  had  found  a  happy 
home  in  Brazil,  where  the  balmy  air  is  much  like  that 
of  Italy.  Clumsy  ox-carts  were  often  lined  up  at  the 
station,  and  carriages  bobbing  on  two  wheels. 

At  sunset  the  travelers  found  themselves  in  the 
bustling  city  of  Sao  Paulo,  where  they  had  a  good 
supper  and  a  night's  rest  at  the  hotel,  after  which 
they  went  on  with  their  journey. 

"A  few  hours  more  will  bring  us  to  the  station 
where  Senhor  Gonzalo  is  to  meet  us  and  take  us  to 
his  plantation,"  said  Mr.  Grayson.  "Though  a 
stranger  to  us,  he  is  such  a  dear  friend  of  Mr.  Joyce 
that  he  will  surely  give  us  a  hearty  welcome. ' ' 

"As  he  is  a  Portuguese,  he  will  be  hospitable, 
[48] 


AMONG  THE  COFFEE  FIELDS 

without  doubt,"  said  Mrs.  Grayson  with  a  happy 
smile. 

Her  words  came  true.  When  the  travelers  left  the 
train,  they  found  Senhor  Gonzalo  waiting  for  them 
with  a  comfortable  carriage  and  span  of  horses.  He 
was  so  pleasant  that  the  twins  were  talking  with  him 
as  easily  as  if  he  were  an  old  friend  before  they  had 
scarcely  left  the  station. 

On  rolled  the  carriage  over  a  smooth  road  between 
fields  covered  with  rows  of  low  trees.  The  leaves 
were  of  a  dark  glossy  green  and  among  them  were 
countless  snowy-white  blossoms. 

"Oh-h!"  exclaimed  Joe;  and  "Oh-h!"  echoed 
Lucy,  as  their  eyes  feasted  on  the  beautiful  sight. 

Senhor  Gonzalo  looked  pleased. 

"We  never  tire  of  the  beauty  of  our  coffee  trees," 
he  said  in  excellent  English.  * '  But  it  changes.  When 
the  blossoms  fade  and  the  bright  red  berries  take 
their  place,  then  our  fields  make  a  picture  that  would 
indeed  make  you  cry  *  Oh ! '  " 

Senhor  Gonzalo  went  on  to  tell  of  the  harvesting 
time  when  men,  women,  and  children  flock  to  the 
coffee  districts  from  all  the  country  round,  to  pick 
the  berries.  Then  the  fields  are  alive  with  people, 
each  one  trying  to  outdo  the  others  in  filling  and 
refilling  his  basket ;  for  the  laborers  are  paid  accord- 
ing to  the  number  of  pounds  they  pick. 

The  story  was  so  interesting,  it  seemed  but  a  mo- 
ment to  the  twins  before  the  carriage  entered  the 
driveway  of  Senhor  Gonzalo 's  plantation,  or  fazenda, 
[49] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

as  the  Portuguese  say.    Senhora  Gonzalo  stood  wait- 
ing in  the  doorway  to  welcome  her  guests. 

After  supper,  the  host  led  the  way  to  the  veranda 
where  all  sat  talking  in  the  moonlight  till  long  past 
the  usual  hour  for  the  twins  to  go  to  bed. 

"Did  you  notice  any  ant-mounds  on  your  way  here 
from  Bio?"  Senhor  Gonzalo  asked  his  guests. 

"Indeed,  yes.  And  they  were  bigger  than  -any  I 
ever  dreamed  of,"  said  Joe  promptly. 

"It  seemed  as  if  the  little  creatures  could  have 
no  troubles,  did  it  not,  as  they  went  in  and  out  of 
their  homes — as  though  they  had  no  enemies  to 
fear?" 

Joe  and  Lucy  nodded. 

"Ah!  but  they  have  a  cruel  enemy,  the  clumsy 
ant-bear,  that  devours  them  by  the  thousands.  The 
big,  lazy  creature  has  no  teeth,  so  he  seeks  his  food 
among  the  ants,  because  he  can  catch  them  with  his 
tongue  and  swallow  them  without  trouble. ' ' 

"I'd  like  to  see  a  live  ant-bear,"  said  Joe,  "be- 
sides other  wild  animals  that  live  in  this  country — 
armadillos  and  Brazilian  foxes  and  wolves  and  tiger 
cats  and — and — jaguars." 

' '  You  might  not  have  much  trouble  with  the  others, 
but  beware  of  the  jaguar."  Senhor  Gonzalo  spoke 
very  seriously.  "When  I  was  a  young  man,  I  spent 
months  hunting  in  the  wilderness  west  and  north  of 
us.  I  went  as  far  as  the  lofty  Andes  mountains,  with 
an  Indian  companion.  We  had  many  adventures, 
but  none  as  dangerous  as  the  one  with  a  jaguar." 
[50] 


AMONG  THE  COFFEE  FIELDS 

"Did  you  kill  him?"  Joe  nearly  jumped  out  of 
his  seat  in  his  excitement. 

'  *  No. ' '  Senhor  Gonzalo  smiled  at  the  disappoint- 
ment he  saw  in  the  boy's  face.  "In  following  the 
trail  of  a  fox,  I  became  separated  from  my  com- 
panion. Then,  suddenly,  as  I  entered  a  deep  forest, 
I  caught  sight  of  a  jaguar — a  big  fellow  he  was.  At 
once,  I  was  filled  with  the  longing  to  secure  that 
handsome,  tawny  skin.  Recklessly  and  without  fear 
I  shot  at  him. 

"I  missed  my  aim.  The  shot  entered  the  crea- 
ture's foreleg  instead  of  his  heart.  He  was  furious 
and  plunged  toward  me.  Again  I  shot,  and  again 
my  bullet  missed  a  vital  point. 

' '  Then,  alas !  With  the  jaguar  now  close  upon  me, 
I  discovered  that  my  revolver  was  empty.  There 
was  no  time  to  reload.  I  had  barely  time  to  climb 
the  nearest  tree.  Clinging  to  a  high  branch,  I  could 
see  the  creature  on  the  ground  below,  looking  up 
with  fiery  eyes  and  wide-open  jaws,  and  howling 
angrily. ' ' 

"And  then?"  Joe  broke  in. 

"As  the  sun  was  already  setting,  I  remained  in 
the  tree  all  night.  Toward  morning  the  jaguar,  tired 
of  waiting,  went  off  in  search  of  other  prey.  But  if 
he  had  ever  tasted  human  blood,  he  might  not  have 
lost  patience. 

'  *  Ah,  but  that  night ! ' '    Senhor  Gonzalo  closed  his 

eyes  thoughtfully.    "Monkeys  filled  the  woods  with 

their  screeching,  and  once  I  heard  the  shrieks  of  a 

tiger  cat.    It  came  nearer  and  nearer.    More  than 

[51] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

once  I  imagined  it  was  climbing  the  tree  where  I 
lodged." 

"I  guess  you  were  glad  enough  when  morning 
came,"  said  Lucy,  shuddering. 

"Indeed,  yes;  glad  also  to  find  my  Indian  com- 
panion, who,  as  it  happened,  was  but  a  short  distance 
away  all  the  time.  But,  little  folks,  let  me  give  you 
something  pleasanter  than  jaguars  to  put  into  your 
dreams  to-night.  Shut  your  eyes  for  a  moment,  and 
we  will  travel  into  the  long-ago  to  visit  an  Indian 
village  before  the  white  men  came  to  Brazil.  We 
need  not  go  far  from  this  plantation,  for  the  country 
round  about  us  was  all  wilderness  then. 

"Ah!  here  we  stand  before  a  little  hut  made  of 
reeds.  Bed  children  are  playing  about  the  hut. 
They  wear  little  clothing — it  is  so  warm,  they  do  not 
need  more.  These  Indian  children  sleep  on  piles  of 
grass  which  their  mother  has  gathered  and  dried. 
They  need  never  go  hungry,  for  bananas  and  plan- 
tains grow  wild  near  by,  and  their  father  brings  home 
birds  and  wild  animals  from  the  hunt  for  his  wife  to 
roast  in  hot  ashes.  Their  mother  gathers  edible  roots 
in  the  fields  and  forests.  Can  you  guess  what  is  the 
most  precious  of  these  roots?" 

"I  know,  I  know!"  Joe  answered  in  a  flash.  "It 
is  manioc.  Mother  says  it's  what  tapioca  and  farina 
are  made  out  of.  Our  cook  uses  a  great  deal  of  it. ' ' 

* '  Quite  right.  And  all  Brazilians  have  it  on  their 
table.  The  Indians  showed  us  whites  how  to  pre- 
pare it.  So  let  us  watch  the  mother  of  these  red 
children  we  are  visiting.  She  is  pulling  out  of  the 
[52] 


AMONG  THE  COFFEE  FIELDS 

ground  some  roots  as  thick  as  large  beets.  She 
brings  them  to  her  home,  and  with  heavy  stones 
presses  out  a  poisonous  juice.  Then,  carefully  wash- 
ing the  roots,  she  pounds  them  into  meal. ' ' 

''I  hope,"  said  Lucy,  with  half-closed  eyes,  "she 
will  make  nice  cakes  out  of  the  meal.  But  what  will 
she  use  to  sweeten  them?" 

"Honey  from  wild  bees'  nests,"  suggested  Joe. 

"Perhaps."  Senhor  Gonzalo  smiled.  "But  I 
doubt  if  those  old-time  Indians  had  such  a  'sweet 
tooth'  as  ourselves;  they  were  doubtless  satisfied  to 
eat  manioc  cakes  without  sugar  or  honey. 

"But  look!  While  we  are  talking  about  them, 
these  red  children  are  becoming  greatly  excited. 
What  can  be  the  matter?  Oh,  now  we  see.  The 
father  has  just  brought  home  some  big  red  monkeys, 
of  which  a  feast  will  shortly  be  prepared  for  the 
family  and  their  friends." 

' '  0  dear !  How  I  should  like  to  go  hunting  in  the 
wilds  of  this  country  and  meet  Indians !"  sighed  Joe. 
"By  the  time  I  grow  up  it  may  be  all  settled." 

"Never  fear,  my  boy."  Senhor  Gonzalo  laughed. 
* '  A  large  part  of  Brazil  is  still  a  wilderness  far  from 
any  railroad.  For  years  to  come,  countless  wild  ani- 
mals may  be  found  in  the  country,  as  well  as  wander- 
ing tribes  of  Indians. ' ' 

"It  is  getting  late  for  the  little  folks,"  said  Mr. 
Grayson,  looking  at  his  watch.  In  the  brilliant  moon- 
light he  saw  readily  that  it  was  half -past  ten. 

As  Mrs.  Grayson  got  up  to  lead  the  twins  off  to 
bed,  her  hostess  said  with  a  kind  smile,  "As  soon  as 
[53] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

you  rise  in  the  morning,  I  hope  you  will  go  to  your 
window  and  take  a  long  sniff. ' ' 

Then  she  embraced  Lucy  and  her  mother  and 
patted  their  backs  several  times.  This  was  to  show 
them  in  Portuguese  fashion  that  already  her  Ameri- 
can guests  were  like  old  and  dear  friends. 

The  sun  had  scarcely  shown  his  head  above  the 
distant  hills  the  next  morning  when  Lucy's  eyes 
opened  and  looked  about  the  strange  room. 

"Where  am  I!"  she  asked  herself  sleepily.  Then 
she  remembered,  and  at  the  same  time  the  words  of 
Senhora  Gonzalo  of  the  night  before  popped  into  her 
mind.  Out  of  bed  she  jumped  and,  running  to  the 
open  window,  drew  in  a  long  breath  of  the  fresh  air. 

"Oh!"  she  whispered  to  herself  in  delight.  The 
little  girl  was  drinking  in  the  fragrance  of  coffee 
blossoms  with  which  the  damp  morning  air  was 
laden. 

"Joe,  Joe!"  she  called  softly  to  her  brother  in  the 
next  room. 

Ten  minutes  afterward,  both  children  were  dressed 
and  had  stolen  quietly  out  among  the  long  rows  of 
coffee-trees.  There  Senhor  Gonzalo  and  their  father 
soon  joined  them. 

"How  well-kept  your  orchards  are!"  said  Mr. 
Grayson  admiringly.  "Scarcely  any  weeds  can  be 
seen." 

' '  That  is  the  way  to  secure  heavy  crops ! ' '  was  the 
answer.  "Besides,  the  trees  must  be  carefully 
pruned  and  not  allowed  to  grow  higher  than  twelve 
feet  or  so." 

[54] 


AMONG  THE  COFFEE  FIELDS 

"You  raise  only  the  red  berries,  I  understand," 
remarked  Mr.  Grayson  a  little  later. 

"Only  red,  because  they  have  a  richer  flavor. 
Many  planters,  however,  are  now  raising  the  yellow 
berries  which  give  more  abundant  crops ;  but  I  pre- 
fer the  best." 

As  Senhor  Gonzalo  spoke,  he  led  the  way  to  broad 
paved  yards  close  to  which  stood  large  buildings. 

* '  In  these  yards,  and  by  means  of  the  machines  in 
the  buildings  before  us,"  explained  Senhor  Gonzalo, 
"the  coffee  berries  are  washed,  dried,  husked, 
weighed  and  prepared  for  shipment.  The  most  im- 
portant work  of  all  is  the  drying,  when  the  berries 
lie  spread  out  on  the  pavement  in  the  sunlight." 

As  he  spoke,  a  negro  servant  came  toward  the 
party. 

"Breakfast  is  ready,  sir,"  he  said,  bowing  to  his 
master. 

Joe  and  Lucy  were  glad  to  hear  the  word  "break- 
fast. ' '  The  older  people  had  already  had  coffee  and 
rolls  in  their  rooms,  but  the  children  had  run  out  of 
the  house  before  the  maid  appeared  at  their  doors 
with  this  early  refreshment. 

After  breakfast,  Senhor  Gonzalo  led  his  guests  to 
a  side  room  whose  walls  were  lined  with  glass  cases 
filled  with  butterflies  and  stuffed  birds. 

"What  beauties!"  cried  Joe,  as  he  and  Lucy 
turned  to  one  after  another. 

Lucy  said  nothing;  she  was  thinking  what  a  pity 
it  was  to  kill  such  beautiful  creatures. 
[55] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

Senhor  Gonzalo  noticed  the  sad  look  in  the  little 
girl's  eyes.  "I  was  a  little  savage  when  I  made  this 
collection,"  he  said  quickly.  "I  could  not  kill  one 
of  those  lovely  songsters  now." 


[56] 


CHAPTER  VIII 

BACK  TO  BIO 

T^OUR  days  passed  by  like  a  happy  dream.  The 
*  twins  walked  and  rode  horseback;  they  feasted 
on  the  dainties  Senhora  Gonzalo's  cook  prepared  for 
the  guests;  they  watched  the  workmen  tending  the 
coif ee-trees ;  they  played  with  the  pet  of  the  house- 
hold, a  tame  monkey  that  performed  many  tricks. 
Then,  one  sunny  afternoon,  they  found  themselves 
once  more  at  home,  where  Miss  Lee  was  watching 
for  them  and  the  cook  had  an  excellent  dinner  ready. 

The  next  morning  Carlos  and  Theresa  came  to  see 
them. 

1  'We  have  missed  you  so  much,"  said  Theresa, 
putting  her  arms  around  Lucy's  neck.  "And  we 
want  you  and  Joe  to  go  with  us  down  the  bay  to- 
morrow. Father  will  take  us  in  a  sail-boat  and  we 
can  have  a  picnic  dinner  on  one  of  the  islands. ' ' 

'  *  Goody,  goody ! ' '  cried  Lucy ;  while  Joe  turned  a 
somersault  to  show  his  delight. 

The  picnic  proved  a  great  success.  The  sail  was 
a  fine  one ;  the  dinner,  eaten  in  a  grove  of  banana- 
trees,  was  delicious ;  and  all  four  children  waded  in 
the  shallow  water  along  the  shore  to  their  hearts' 
content. 

[57] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

Weeks  went  by,  full  of  pleasure  for  the  twins. 
Sometimes  they  went  sightseeing;  at  other  times 
they  played  with  Carlos  and  Theresa  and  their  pets. 
Joe  and  Carlos  often  went  out  into  the  country  to  fly 
kites.  Theresa  taught  Lucy  some  Portuguese  songs 
and  dances.  She  and  her  brother  showed  the  twins 
how  to  play  some  new  games. 

"Almost  Christmas  already!"  Lucy  said  to  her 
mother  one  day.  "Won't  it  be  the  funniest  thing  to 
have  Christmas  come  in'the  middle  of  summer." 

Before  Mrs.  Grayson  had  time  to  answer,  Joe  burst 
into  the  room. 

"What  do  you  think!"  he  cried.  "We  are  going 
to  Petropolis  to  spend  the  holidays.  I've  just  been 
down  to  father's  office  and  he  told  me." 

"Is  it  true?"  Lucy  had  dropped  the  doll's  dress 
she  was  making  and  was  now  dancing  about  her 
mother. 

"Yes,  dear.  Your  father  thinks  that  a  visit  to  the 
beautiful  city  among  the  mountains  may  keep  us 
from  getting  homesick  for  Christmas  with  the  dear 
ones  in  New  York." 

Shortly  afterward  Mr.  Grayson  arrived  with  still 
more  good  news — Senhor  Vasco  had  decided  to  take 
his  mother  and  the  children  to  Petropolis  for  the 
holidays. 

A  jolly  party  soon  left  Rio  for  the  summer  capital 
of  Brazil.  As  the  train  climbed  upward  through  nar- 
row mountain  passes,  noisy  streams  could  be  seen 
tumbling  down  over  the  rocks.  The  country  around 
was  wild  and  beautiful. 

[58] 


BACK  TO  RIO 

As  Petropolis  came  into  sight  nestling  among  high 
mountains,  Lucy  asked,  "Didn't  one  of  the  emperors 
have  a  palace  in  Petropolis?" 

Senhor  Vasco,  who  had  been  busy  reading  a  news- 
paper, looked  up  with  a  smile.  "Ah,  you  already 
know  something  of  our  history,"  he  said.  "Let  me 
tell  you  more. 

"When  I  was  a  lad  this  land  was  an  empire,  and 
our  ruler  was  the  gentle  Dom  Pedro  II.  He  was  far 
different  from  his  father,  Dom  Pedro  I,  the  first  em- 
peror. Before  that  we  were  under  the  rule  of  Portu- 
gal. 

"Many  stories  have  I  heard  of  the  time  when  the 
King  of  Portugal,  father  of  Dom  Pedro  I,  crossed 
the  ocean  and  settled  in  Eio  with  his  whole  court. 
Those  were  gay  times  for  the  city,  with  constant 
feasting  and  dancing,  and  the  streets  alive  with  royal 
processions." 

"Why  should  the  King  of  Portugal  leave  his  own 
home  and  come  to  Brazil  to  live?"  asked  Joe. 

"The  great  Napoleon  was  making  all  Europe 
tremble,  so  the  King  came  here  for  safety.  But  when 
danger  was  over,  he  went  back,  leaving  his  son  to 
rule  Brazil  in  his  name.  Then  the  people  claimed 
for  themselves  freedom  from  Portugal.  *  This  coun- 
try shall  be  an  empire  by  itself,'  they  declared. 
'The  King's  son  shall  be  our  ruler,  however,  and  he 
shall  be  called  Dom  Pedro  I.'  " 

"Ah,  but  he  was  a  bad  one !"  said  Carlos,  who  had 
been  listening  closely  to  his  father's  story. 

"Quite  right,  my  son.  He  was  treated  as  he  de- 
[59] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

served  when  the  people  forced  him  to  leave  the 
country.  He  left  his  young  son  behind  him,  and  this 
son,  when  little  older  than  you,  Carlos,  was  crowned 
emperor." 

"And  then!"  asked  Joe  eagerly. 

"Dom  Pedro  II  was  loved  by  his  subjects,  though 
he  enjoyed  books  better  than  governing.  When  he 
began  to  grow  old,  however,  the  people  demanded 
more  freedom  than  they  could  have  as  an  empire. 

"  'We  will  become  a  republic!'  they  said.  They 
banished  the  old  emperor,  who  died  shortly  after- 
ward in  Europe;  and  with  little  trouble  we  started 
out  as  a  free  people  like  your  own  United  States." 

While  Senhor  Vasco  was. talking,  the  train  had 
begun  to  slow  up ;  Petropolis  was  close  at  hand. 

"You  will  soon  see  the  palace  of  the  good  em- 
peror," Carlos  told  his  little  friends,  as  they  fol- 
lowed their  parents  out  of  the  train. 

"But  it  is  a  boarding-school  now,"  said  Theresa. 
' '  Father  says  he  will  send  me  there  to  be  finished  off 
as  a  young  lady." 

The  next  few  days  were  busy  ones  for  the  children. 
They  went  to  the  palace,  in  whose  lofty  rooms  young 
girls  sat  studying  at  desks  made  in  a  United  States 
factory.  They  listened  to  concerts  where  Brazilian 
music  was  played.  They  took  walks  past  fine  houses 
shaded  by  tall  palms,  with  azaleas  and  orange-trees 
blooming  in  the  gardens.  The  boys  went  horseback 
riding  among  the  mountains.  The  ladies  and  little 
girls  took  long  walks  into  the  country,  bringing 
bouquets  of  beautiful  wild  flowers  back  to  the  hotel. 
[60] 


BACK  TO  RIO 

Best  of  all,  perhaps,  to  the  children,  was  the  grand 
Christmas  dinner  and  the  exchange  of  gifts  which 
they  had  brought  from  Rio,  but  had  not  even  hinted 
at  to  each  other  till  the  Christmas  sun  peeped  at 
them  from  over  the  mountains. 


[61] 


CHAPTER  IX 

SUEPKISES 

1\/r OTHER  darling,  Miss  Lee  says  Joe  and  I  have 
•*•  •*•  got  along  splendidly ! ' '  said  Lucy,  dancing  into 
her  mother's  room. 

' '  And  I  'm  sure  we  are  up  in  the  work  of  our  class 
at  home,"  said  Joe,  who  had  followed  his  sister. 

''To  say  nothing  of  all  the  Portuguese  we  have 
learned,"  added  Lucy. 

'  *  You  have  both  done  well,  and  you  deserve  a  good 
long  vacation.  Moreover,  I  have  a  separate  surprise 
for  each  one  of  you." 

' '  A  separate  surprise ! ' '  cried  Lucy.  * '  Surely  you 
don't  mean  that  Joe  and  I  are  not  to  share  the  same 
thing!" 

Mrs.  Gray  son  smiled. 

' '  Be  patient,  dear,  and  let  me  explain.  Your  father 
and  I  have  an  invitation  for  each  of  you.  The  one 
for  Joe  is  to  take  a  voyage  up  the  coast  with  Mr. 
Joyce,  who  is  going  to  Para  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Amazon,  on  business.  After  it  is  done,  he  will  take 
Joe  on  a  steamboat  trip  up  the  King  of  Rivers. ' ' 

"And  see  the  Indians  tapping  rubber-trees,  and 
monkeys  and  parrots  in  their  forest  home  and — and 
• — hurrah ! ' '  shouted  Joe. 

[63] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

But  Lucy  began  to  pout. 

4 'I  won't  see  any  of  the  wonders,"  she  said  at  last. 
She  choked  over  the  words.  "And  Joe  and  I  have 
never  been  away  from  each  other  in  all  our  lives. ' ' 

"Listen,  dear,"  said  her  mother,  drawing  the  little 
girl  to  her  side.  "You,  too,  are  to  take  a  trip. 
Senhor  Vasco  is  going  westward  to  visit  the  mines 
in  the  state  of  Minas  Geraes.  His  mother  and 
Theresa  will  go  with  him ;  but  he  fears  the  little  girl 
may  be  lonely  without  a  playmate.  So  he  has  in- 
vited you  to  join  them. ' ' 

"You'll  see  the  miners  digging  out  gold,  and 
perhaps  you  will  find  a  diamond,"  said  Joe  encour- 
agingly. 

"Besides,  Lucy,"  added  Mrs.  Grayson,  "you  will 
be  back  in  Bio  in  time  to  celebrate  the  Easter  fes- 
tival, which  Joe  will  miss. ' ' 

Smiles  quickly  chased  Lucy's  tears  away  and  she 
was  soon  busy  helping  to  make  plans  for  the  two 
journeys. 

Joe  and  Carlos  went  away  first.  The  little  girls, 
with  their  parents,  went  on  board  the  steamer  with 
the  boys  and  Mr.  Joyce,  and  stayed  till  the  last  min- 
ute before  the  start.  Then,  as  they  afterward  stood 
on  the  dock  watching  the  ship  move  slowly  away 
from  shore,  they  could  not  keep  the  tears  from  run- 
ning, even  as  they  waved  their  handkerchiefs.  Their 
brothers  were  going  so  far  away ! 

Early  the  next  morning,  however,  two  happy  little 
girls  were  in  a  train  climbing  up  among  the  moun- 
tains— Lucy  with  dimpling  cheeks  and  wavy,  golden 
[64] 


SURPRISES 

hair,  and  Theresa,  whose  dark  dreamy  face  was  now 
full  of  excitement. 

"Look!"  she  cried  more  than  once,  afraid  that 
Lucy  would  lose  sight  of  something  interesting. 

At  first  the  train  moved  past  coffee  plantations  and 
villages  beside  pretty  streams.  Here  and  there  on 
some  lonely  hillside,  the  children  caught  glimpses  of 
a  mud  hut  thatched  with  grass,  and  with  half -naked 
children  playing  around  it. 

"How  can  people  live  where  there  isn't  a  store 
near  for  miles  and  miles  ? ' '  Lucy  said  half  to  herself. 

Senhor  Vasco  heard  her.  ' '  The  people  who  live  in 
such  places  are  satisfied  with  very  little,"  he  said. 
*  *  If  they  have  a  cow  to  give  them  milk,  a  few  fowls 
to  lay  eggs,  a  couple  of  banana-trees,  and  a  patch  of 
manioc,  they  think  themselves  quite  comfortable. 
Ah !  but  they  are  lazy  folks — both  negroes  and  white 
people  who  live  in  that  way." 

The  first  stop  made  by  the  party  was  at  a  big  town 
where  Senhor  Vasco  had  to  attend  to  some  business. 

"Why,  this  is  a  good  deal  like  a  New  England 
town,"  Lucy  told  her  friends.  "There  are  factories 
along  the  river  banks  and  the  streets  are  well  lighted. 
And  such  nice  large  school  buildings  and  colleges! 
It  seems  queer. ' ' 

"Why?"  asked  Senhor  Vasco. 

"Because  there  is  such  a  wild  country  between  us 
and  Rio,  and — and — because  this  is  South  America." 

"I  wonder  what  you  will  say  when  we  reach  the 
capital  of  the  state  at  the  end  of  another  day's  jour- 
ney," was  the  answer.  "Though  Minas  Geraes,  or 
[65] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

General  Mines,  as  you  would  say  in  English,  is  mostly 
a  wilderness,  it  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  impor- 
tant states  of  Brazil  because  of  the  rich  stores  of 
gold  and  other  minerals,  as  well  as  diamonds,  found 
in  the  river  beds." 

That  evening  as  the  travelers  sat  at  dinner,  Senhor 
Vasco  told  the  children  about  the  discovery  of  the 
first  diamonds. 

"We  shall  have  to  go  back  nearly  two  hundred 
years,"  he  said,  "when  negro  slaves  were  searching 
for  gold  and  silver  for  their  masters.  One  day,  as 
they  were  busy  washing  gold  out  of  gravel,  these 
slaves  found  some  beautiful  pebbles.  They  took 
them  home  to  their  masters,  who  used  them  as 
counters  when  they  played  cards,  believing  the  peb- 
bles had  no  value.  At  length,  however,  one  of  the 
gentlemen,  who  had  been  to  India  and  seen  diamonds 
there,  began  to  examine  the  stones.  'Aha!'  thought 
he,  'suppose  these  pebbles  should  be  diamonds!  I 
will  have  them  weighed  and  see  if  they  are  like  com- 
mon stones.  If  not,  they  must  be  sent  to  men  in 
Europe  who  have  studied  the  nature  of  diamonds. ' 

"This  was  done,  and  behold,  the  word  came  back 
to  Brazil  that  the  stones  were  indeed  diamonds,  and 
worth  large  sums  of  money.  Since  then,  at  least  a 
million  dollars '  worth  of  the  gems  are  sent  each  year 
from  our  country  to  other  lands. ' ' 

"Please  tell  Lucy  about  the  Braganza  diamond," 
begged  Theresa. 

"That  noted  diamond,"  explained  Senhor  Vasco, 
"was  found  by  three  men  who,  for  doing  some  great 
[66] 


SURPRISES 

wrong,  were  punished  in  this  way :  they  were  driven 
out  into  the  wilderness  to  live  among  the  Indians. 
One  day,  as  they  were  washing  gold  out  of  some 
river  sand,  they  noticed  a  pebble  that  sparkled 
brightly.  'Can  it  be  a  diamond?'  they  wondered. 
'We  will  take  it  to  the  priest  and  ask  him.' 

"Now  when  the  priest  saw  it,  he  also  thought  it 
must  be  a  diamond  and  carried  it  to  the  governor  to 
see  what  he  would  say. 

"  'A  diamond  indeed,'  decided  the  governor,  'and 
a  rare  one.  It  is  worth  a  great  fortune. '  ' 

"Did  he  give  it  back  to  those  poor  men?"  asked 
Lucy  eagerly. 

"No,  my  dear.  He  kept  it  for  the  government, 
but  he  gave  the  three  exiles  freedom  to  return  home 
once  more,  and  that  was  worth  more  to  them  than  a 
fortune. ' ' 

The  next  day  after  this  talk,  the  party  started  out 
once  more  on  their  travels.  Higher  and  higher 
among  the  mountains  climbed  the  train.  At  last, 
Lucy  and  Theresa  drew  long  breaths  of  delight  as 
they  found  themselves  in  Minas,  the  beautiful  cap- 
ital of  Minas  Geraes,  tucked  away  in  a  lofty  valley. 

"This  city  is  often  called  the  Washington  of  Bra- 
zil," said  Senhora  Vasco,  "because  in  many  ways,  it 
is  said  to  be  like  the  capital  of  the  United  States. ' ' 

After  a  short  stay  in  the  lovely  city,  the  travelers 
made  their  way  into  the  heart  of  the  mining  country. 
They  visited  Diamantina,  where  they  watched  the 
workmen  washing  the  river  sands  for  diamonds. 
They  went  on  horseback  along  rough  mountain  sides 
[67] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

and  saw  the  miners  digging  into  the  steep  slopes  for 
gold,  and  packing  the  precious  earth  on  the  backs  of 
mules  to  be  carried  to  the  town  below. 

One  morning  as  they  were  making  their  way  slowly 
over  a  rocky  stretch,  Senhor  Vasco  said:  "Perhaps 
it  was  here  in  these  very  wilds  that  the  early  Portu- 
guese explorers  found  the  first  gold.  They  were 
brave  men,  and  feared  nothing  in  their  search  for 
wealth.  They  met  Indians,  many  of  whom  they  made 
their  slaves  and  set  to  work  washing  gold  out  of  the 
river  sands." 

Before  the  travelers  turned  homeward,  they  vis- 
ited the  town  of  Ouro  Preto,  or,  as  we  would  say, 
black  gold.  Theresa  had  been  there  once  before,  and 
she  could  hardly  wait  to  lead  Lucy  to  the  monument 
of  Tiradentes,  a  great  patriot  who  had  died  for  his 
country. 

"Why — Tiradentes  means — tooth  puller."  Lucy 
was  thinking  aloud.  * '  What  a  queer  name ! ' ' 

"He  was  called  that  because  he  used  to  go  about 
through  the  country  pulling  teeth  for  people. ' ' 

"Oh-h!  Just  as  our  great  patriot,  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, was  called  the  Bail  Splitter,"  said  Lucy 
thoughtfully. 


[68] 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  EASTER  FESTIVAL 

T  'VE  had  a  perfectly  lovely  time,  but  I'm  glad  to 
•*•  be  back  with  you,  Mummie  and  Daddie.  And  oh ! 
I  do  wish  Joe  were  here!" 

"Something  from  him  is  waiting  for  you/'  Mrs. 
Grayson  managed  to  say  between  the  hugs  her  little 
daughter  was  giving  her. 

"I  know — it's  a  letter!  Oh,  do  let  me  read  it 
quick. ' ' 

"Your  father  and  I  had  a  long  one  which  you  shall 
see  later,  but  this  is  to  your  very  own  self.  Bead  it 
aloud,  dear,  for  we  should  like  to  hear  it, ' '  said  her 
mother,  drawing  the  letter  from  her  pocket. 

Hurriedly  opening  the  envelope,  the  little  girl  sat 
down  on  a  foot-stool  at  her  father's  feet  and  began 
to  read  her  brother's  words. 

Dear  Lucy: 

I  miss  you  dreadfully,  but  I'm  having  a  splendid  time 
every  minute.  Here  we  are  at  Para  after  a  fine  voyage 
up  the  coast.  It  is  pretty  hot  here,  for  you  know  we  are 
close  to  the  equator.  Sometimes  we  go  to  the  wharves  and 
watch  men  loading  the  big  ships  with  rubber  brought  down 
from  the  banks  of  the  Amazon.  The  workmen  are  of  all 
sorts  of  colors — white,  brown,  black — Portuguese,  Span- 
iards, mulattoes,  negroes.  They  go  barefoot  and  carry 
their  loads  on  their  heads. 

[69] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

More  than  once  I  have  seen  a  man  on  his  way  to  market 
with  something  on  his  head  as  hig  around  as  a  barrel.  At 
first,  I  couldn't  make  out  what  it  was.  But  when  I  saw 
a  head  with  small  black  eyes  sticking  out  and  then  draw- 
ing in,  I  knew  right  off.  It  was  a  big  Amazon  turtle  lying 
on  its  back.  And  what  do  you  think,  Lucy!  One  turtle 
like  that  will  lay  over  one  hundred  eggs  in  the  hot  river 
sand  and  leave  them  to  hatch  out  by  themselves. 

I  can  buy  pineapples  and  cocoanuts  in  the  markets  here 
for  a  few  pennies  each,  and  they  are  the  finest  ever.  And 
say !  The  bananas  just  melt  in  one 's  mouth. 

Do  you  remember,  Lucy,  the  bright-colored  houses  on  the 
cliffs  at  Bahia  ?  They  are  of  all  sorts  of  bright  colors  here, 
too. 

Mr.  Joyce  has  been  to  the  big  shops  with  us  boys  several 
times,  and  we  have  bought  hammocks  to  sleep  in  when  we 
go  up  the  Amazon.  We  will  hang  them  on  the  deck  of  the 
little  steamer,  where  we  can  always  get  a  breeze. 

I  can't  stop  to  write  more  now,  as  Mr.  Joyce  is  calling  for 
me  to  get  ready  for  a  sail  in  the  harbor.  We  will  pass  little 
islands  bordered  by  lilies,  and  the  homes  of  thousands  of 
parrots  and  monkeys. 

There,  I  must  stop.  To-morrow  we  will  start  on  our  trip 
up  the  Amazon. 

Good-by,  twin  dear,  with  lots  of  love  to  you  all,  from 

JOE. 

"I  guess  Joe  and  I  will  chatter  like  parrots  when 
he  gets  back,"  Lucy  said  with  a  merry  laugh  as  she 
finished  the  letter. 

1 '  Only  think !  Next  week  will  be  the  last  one  before 
Lent,"  said  Mr.  Grayson.  "Then  three  whole  days 
for  the  carnival.  Moreover,  Senhor  Vasco  has  in- 
vited us  to  watch  the  processions  from  the  balcony 
over  his  office." 

"Goody!"  cried  Lucy.  "Then  Theresa  and  I  can 
have  such  fun  together.  We  can  pour  perfumed 
[70] 


THE  EASTER  FESTIVAL 

water  from  the  balcony  down  on  the  passers-by. 
That  is  what  she  does  every  year. ' ' 

"Pour  perfumed  water!"  Mrs.  Grayson  looked 
puzzled. 

"  Everybody  does  it  during  the  carnival,  mother 
dear.  Theresa  says  we  can  buy  the  perfume  in  little 
lead  bottles  very  cheap,  at  stands  set  up  along  the 
streets.  Then,  as  the  crowds  pass  our  balcony,  we 
can  lean  over  and  squirt  the  water  on  any  people  we 
choose.  They  will  laugh  as  much  as  we." 

The  first  morning  of  the  carnival  Lucy  was  awake 
as  early  as  on  a  Fourth  of  July  at  home. 

"Daddie!  Mummie!"  she  called  to  her  parents. 
"I  know  you  can't  be  asleep  with  such  a  noise  out- 
side." 

Already  people  were  making  their  way  through 
the  streets  blowing  horns,  singing,  and  shouting. 

After  a  hurried  breakfast,  Mr.  Grayson  took  Lucy 
out  to  see  the  city  in  its  holiday  dress.  The  houses 
were  decorated  with  flags  and  with  bright-colored 
lanterns  that  would  be  lighted  when  evening  came. 
Early  as  it  was,  the  streets  were  crowded  with 
people. 

"Look,  look,  Daddie!"  whispered  Lucy,  excitedly. 
"Some  of  the  people  have  masks  and  dominoes  on, 
and  they  keep  playing  jokes  on  each  other." 

When  Lucy  returned  home,  she  found  Theresa  al- 
ready there,  and  for  the  rest  of  the  carnival  the  two 
little  girls  were  together  nearly  all  the  time.  They 
watched  processions  and  listened  to  music  made  by 
people  in  the  gay  crowds,  till  they  were  tired.  They 
[71] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

squirted  bottle  after  bottle  of  perfumed  water  on  the 
laughing,  dancing,  shouting  passers-by.  They 
feasted  to  their  hearts'  content  on  cakes  and 
sweeties.  Then,  when  night  came,  they  tumbled  into 
bed  so  tired  and  sleepy  they  scarcely  knew  what  they 
were  doing. 

The  last  day  of  the  carnival  was  the  best  of  all. 
A  grand  procession  that  was  " hours  long,"  as  Lucy 
said,  marched  through  the  streets.  There  were  •  sol- 
diers on  horseback  and  beautifully  trimmed  floats  on 
which  were  men,  women  and  children,  dressed  in  the 
fashions  of  long-ago ;  there  were  comical  figures  rep- 
resenting different  animals. 

"Best  of  everything,"  Lucy  afterward  told  Joe, 
"was  the  float  bearing  King  Carnival  on  a  magnifi- 
cent throne  and  looking  very  grand  in  his  royal 
robes." 

Theresa  enjoyed  the  festival  twice  as  much  be- 
cause her  little  American  friend  praised  it  so  greatly. 
"Lucy,"  she  asked  more  than  once,  "do  you  have  a 
carnival  that  lasts  three  whole  days,  in  New  York?" 

Each  time  Lucy  was  obliged  to  answer,  "No — o," 
and  once  she  added,  "nor  do  we  have  so  many  holi- 
days as  you  do  in  this  country.  It  surely  is  fun  to 
have  them  come  so  often." 


[72] 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  SURPRISE  PARTY 

rpO-MORROW!"  cried  Lucy  joyfully. 
''To-morrow!"  echoed  Theresa. 

The  two  girls  had  just  finished  a  pretty  dance 
which  Theresa  was  teaching  her  little  guest,  while 
her  grandmother  played  for  them  on  the  piano. 
They  sang  as  they  danced.  Senhor  Vasco  and  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Grayson  sat  at  one  side  of  the  room  watch- 
ing the  children  and  the  graceful  old  lady  at  the 
piano. 

'  *  To-morrow ! ' '  repeated  the  grown-ups,  smiling  as 
merrily  as  the  little  girls. 

What  was  there  in  that  one  word  to  make  every- 
body seem  so  happy?  It  was  this:  Joe  and  Carlos 
were  expected  home  on  the  next  day. 

"If  the  Senhora  is  not  too  tired,  I  wish  you  would 
repeat  that  pretty  dance,"  said  Mr.  Grayson.  And 
then,  just  as  the  music  started  again,  and  the  two 
little  girls  began  to  move  around  the  room,  the  door 
opened  and  in  bounded  Joe  and  Carlos,  with  Mr. 
Joyce  close  behind  them. 

What  a  laughing  and  kissing  and  talking  together 
there  was  for  the  next  few  minutes !    The  steamer 
had  arrived  ahead  of  time  and  Mr.  Joyce,  with  the 
[73] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

help  of  the  telephone,  had  learned  that  the  Graysons 
were  spending  the  evening  at  "The  Palace." 

"We  will  take  everybody  by  surprise,"  he  told  the 
boys ;  and  they  hurried  as  fast  as  motor  cars  could 
take  them,  to  Senhor  Vasco's  home. 

"How  tanned  you  are,  Joe!  You  would  almost 
pass  for  an  Indian,"  said  Lucy,  getting  the  words  in 
edgewise. 

"And  how  big  you've  grown,  Lucy!"  said  her 
brother. 

"Polly  is  dreadfully  lonesome — hasn't  learned  a 
new  word  since  you  went  away,"  Lucy  managed  to 
say. 

At  the  same  time,  Carlos  was  whispering  in 
Theresa's  ear,  "I've  missed  you,  little  sister." 

"Dear,  dear  brother,"  was  the  only  answer,  as 
Theresa  kissed  her  brother's  hand  which  she  had 
been  holding. 

When  the  first  excitement  was  over,  the  talk  got 
straightened  out.  The  boys  began  to  tell  the  story 
of  their  adventures  from  the  time  they  started  up 
the  Amazon. 

"The  steamer  that  took  us,"  explained  Carlos, 
"was  not  very  large,  but  it  carried  thousands  of 
pounds  of  salt  beef  to  the  settlements  along  the  river 
banks." 

"Such  a  big,  beautiful  river  it  is!"  added  Joe. 
' '  But  what  do  you  think !  Its  water  is  a  dingy  yellow 
color  like  pea-soup,  because  of  the  mud  it  brings 
along  with  it." 

[74] 


THE  SURPRISE  PARTY 

"Then  I  don't  understand  how  it  can  look  pretty," 
said  Lucy. 

"Just  wait  till  you  see  the  forests  on  either  side, 
and  the  beautiful  plants  and  flowers,"  Joe  replied, 
enthusiastically. 

"Indeed,  yes!"  cried  Carlos.  "In  the  first  place, 
it  is  big  and  broad,  and  there  are  many  beautiful 
little  islands  in  it.  But  the  shores!  Think  of  it! 
Forests  on  either  side  of  us  at  least  a  hundred  feet 
high,  with  the  trees  tied  together  by  a  network  of 
vines  and  air  plants — some  almost  as  fine  and  delicate 
as  silken  threads,  some  as  thick  and  strong  as  tree- 
trunks.  And  blossoms  everywhere — on  the  vines  as 
they  wind  around  the  tree-trunks  or  stretch  from 
one  tree  to  another — even  among  the  topmost 
branches." 

"Jungles  stretch  back  from  the  Amazon  for  sev- 
eral hundred  miles  on  each  side,"  added  Joe,  "and 
everything  grows  so  fast  there  on  account  of  the 
heavy  rains,  that  if  roads  were  made,  they  would  be 
hidden  from  sight  by  tangles  of  weeds  in  six 
months." 

'  *  The  Indians,  in  making  their  way  in  the  forests, ' ' 
put  in  Carlos,  "often  carry  hatchets  with  which  to 
cut  their  way  through  the  vines  and  brush. ' ' 

'  *  I  thought  I  knew  a  good  deal  about  palms  before 
I  left  Kio, ' '  said  Mr.  Joyce,  who  had  been  listening 
to  the  boys  with  an  amused  smile,  "but  I  have 
learned,  while  we  were  away,  of  new  kinds  as  well 
as  of  many  uses  of  the  trees  that  I  never  heard  of 
before.  Why,  the  Indians  in  the  Amazon's  jungles 
[75] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

could  not  get  along  without  the  products  of  the 
palm-trees. 

"To  begin  with,  the  palm-trees  furnish  fruit  and 
oil — almost  all  the  food  the  Indians  need,  except  the 
flesh  they  get  from  wild  animals.  The  rafters  of 
their  huts  are  made  of  the  straight  trunks  of  one 
kind  of  palm.  The  roofs  are  thatched  with  the  leaves 
of  another  kind.  The  hammocks  in  which  they  sleep 
are  woven  out  of  palm  fibers.  The  cradles  their 
babies  lie  in  are  often  made  of  spathes  from  a  palm- 
tree.  Ornaments  which  they  wear  on  their  heads  are 
carved  out  of  palm  wood,  while  their  odd,  musical 
instruments  are  made  from  the  stems  of  palm-trees. 

"This  makes  me  think  of  what  we  saw  one  eve- 
ning, ' '  Mr.  Joyce  went  on.  '  *  It  was  very  dark.  The 
sky  was  hidden  by  black  clouds ;  not  a  star  was  in 
sight.  The  boys  and  myself  were  lying  in  our  ham- 
mocks on  the  steamer-deck  half  asleep.  Suddenly,  as 
we  rounded  a  bend  in  the  river,  a  glare  of  light  burst 
upon  us  from  the  shore,  and  sounds  of  weird  music 
greeted  our  ears.  And  now  we  could  see  that  some 
kind  of  a  celebration  was  taking  place.  A  hundred 
or  more  half-naked  Indians  were  marching  around 
a  huge  bonfire.  Several  of  them  were  beating  on 
drums,  or  playing  on  fifes.  At  a  motion  from  their 
leader  all  stopped,  then  began  to  move  again  in  a 
slow,  solemn  dance  in  and  out  among  the  trees." 

* '  A  solemn  dance ! ' '  laughed  Lucy.  ' '  That  sounds 
funny. ' ' 

"But  it  was  solemn,"  declared  Joe.    "It  almost 
made  me  shiver  to  watch  it. ' ' 
[76] 


THE  SURPRISE  PARTY 

"We  heard  many  other  strange  sounds  during 
those  nights  on  the  river,"  continued  Mr.  Joyce 
thoughtfully.  "There  were  the  cries  of  wild  ani- 
mals, for  instance,  that  would  not  be  at  all  pleasant 
to  a  lonely  traveler  in  the  forest.  But  we,  safe  on 
ship-board,  could  enjoy  them  because  of  their  very 
strangeness." 

"In  the  daytime,  there  was  something  interesting 
to  see  as  well  as  hear  every  minute,"  added  Joe 
eagerly.  "Sometimes  we  were  out  in  midstream 
making  our  way  among  beautiful  little  islands. 
Sometimes  we  lay  close  to  one  bank  or  the  other,  but 
there  were  always  wonderful  trees  and  flowers  to 
look  at ;  or  the  huts  of  Indians  with  naked  children 
playing  about  and  diving  in  the  water;  or  strange 
birds  and  animals  among  the  trees.  And,  say !  We 
saw  a  real  live  river-cow!  It  was  a  clumsy  thing, 
but  it  hurried  to  get  out  of  the  way  of  the  steamer. 
The  Indians  eat  the  flesh  and  think  it  good,  though 
it  is  tough  and  tasteless." 

"They  like  a  stew  of  nice  fat  lizards  better,  I'm 
sure."  Carlos  laughed. 

"Oh!"  cried  Mrs.  Grayson,  with  a  shudder. 

* '  Dreadful  I ' '  said  Lucy,  making  up  a  face. 

"I  can't  bear  to  think  of  it!"  said  Theresa. 

'  *  All  right.  Then  let 's  change  the  subject,  and  go 
back  to  the  steamer,"  said  Mr.  Joyce.  "Here  we 
are  on  deck  again,  moving  past  the  tall  forests,  from 
which  hundreds  of  monkeys'  faces  are  peering  out 
at  us.  They  look  almost  as  wise  as  human  beings, 
don't  they?  Ah!  Now  they  turn  their  sharp  eyes 
[77] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

away,  and  go  on  with  their  play.  They  hang  from 
the  vines  stretching  from  tree  to  tree.  They  chase 
each  other  in  sport.  They  make  festoons  of  their 
own  bodies  joined  together  by  their  tails.  We  laugh 
at  the  merry  sight. ' ' 

"And  then  the  parrots  and  macaws  and  paro- 
quets ! ' '  exclaimed  Carlos.  ' '  Sometimes  it  seemed  as 
if  the  woods  were  full  of  them.  They  filled  the  air 
with  their  chatter.  Such  beauties  as  they  were  too, 
of  red  and  gold,  and  other  bright  colors." 

"I  think  you  boys  found  the  time  to  pass  very 
fast,"  Mr.  Joyce  said  with  a  smile. 

"Too  fast!"  Joe  declared  quickly.  "Why,  we 
haven't  begun  to  tell  all  that  happened.  We  visited 
a  cacao  plantation.  We  saw  the  home  of  an  Indian 
rubber  gatherer  and  watched  him  tap  the  rubber- 
trees,  and " 

"One  thing  at  a  time,  my  boy,"  interrupted  Mr. 
Grayson.  "Suppose  you  tell  us  first  about  the 
plantation." 

"All  right,  sir."  Trying  to  speak  more  slowly, 
Joe  went  on.  ' '  Our  steamer  had  to  stop  at  a  station 
near  a  cacao  plantation  to  leave  some  provisions,  so 
we  had  time  to  land  and  go  over  to  see  it.  The 
planter  was  a  Portuguese  and  as  kind  as  could  be. 
He  gave  us  mules  on  which  we  rode  through  the 
orchards.  We  must  have  seen  thousands  of  cacao 
trees  with  bright  green  leaves,  and  fruit  growing 
close  to  the  branches. ' ' 

"Are  cocoa  and  chocolate  made  out  of  the  dried 
fruitf"  asked  Lucy. 

[78] 


THE  SURPRISE  PARTY 

"No,  you  dear  little  goose."  Joe  laughed.  ''The 
fruit  is  bright  yellow  on  the  outside,  with  a  white 
pulp  inside;  hidden  in  this  pulp  are  about  thirty 
brown  seeds.  After  these  have  been  separated  from 
the  pulp  and  dried,  they  are  sent  away  to  be  made 
into  cocoa  and  chocolate;  some  of  them  go  to  fac- 
tories in  Europe  and  the  United  States.  The  planter 
told  us  all  about  it.  He  said,  too,  that  he  and  his 
family  often  get  lonely,  living  far  away  from  any 
town — and  I  don't  wonder."  Joe  stopped,  out  of 
breath  once  more  from  talking  so  fast. 

"Nor  do  I  wonder,"  said  Mr.  Joyce.  "One  may 
sail  for  days  on  the  Amazon  and  see  only  a  few 
scattered  villages  on  the  banks,  and  these  the  homes 
of  Indians." 

"I  should  like  well  to  hear  about  your  visit  to  a 
rubber  camp,"  said  Senhor  Vasco.  "When  I  was  a 
boy  I  took  such  a  trip  as  yours,  and  was  especially 
interested  in  the  life  of  the  rubber  gatherers. ' ' 

"Please,  everybody,"  said  Carlos,  speaking 
quickly,  "shut  your  eyes,  so  you  can't  see  this 
brightly  lighted  room,  and  we  can  play  we  are  aboard 
our  steamer  on  the  Amazon." 

The  boy  looked  from  one  to  another  as,  laughing, 
all  did  as  he  asked.  Then: 

"Thank  you,"  he  said  gravely.  "Here  we  are 
sailing  close  to  shore.  We  are  moving  slowly  now, 
for  we  are  going  to  stop  at  that  little  wharf  with 
the  station  behind  it  where  the  rubber  gatherers 
bring  their  loads  to  be  shipped  to  Para. 

"There  are  several  dugouts  made  out  of  tree- 
[79] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

trunks  along  the  banks.  These  belong  to  the  Indians 
who  have  paddled  down  from  their  camps.  Our 
steamer  is  going  to  stop  here  for  several  hours,  so 
we  get  out  and  go  into  the  station  where  we  see  piles 
of  rubber  ready  for  shipment.  An  Indian  has  just 
left  his  load  and  is  about  to  go  back  to  his  camp. 
Mr.  Joyce  asks  him  if  we  may  go  with  him  and  watch 
him  gather  rubber  sap.  He  nods,  and  we  follow  him 
into  his  rough  boat. 

"After  paddling  some  distance,  we  land  in  front 
of  a  hut  with  a  small  clearing  about  it.  Around  this 
clearing  is  the  blackness  of  the  big  forest." 

Theresa  and  Lucy  shuddered. 

"The  Indian's  wife  and  children  come  out  of  the 
hut  to  greet  us.  They  look  at  us  curiously,  for  they 
have  probably  seen  few  white  people  in  their  lives. 

"But  we  do  not  stay  here  long.  The  Indian  goes 
into  a  shed  next  the  house  and  gets  a  hatchet  and 
some  tin  cups.  Then  he  motions  to  us  to  follow  him 
into  the  forest.  The  path  is  narrow.  More  than 
once  we  trip  over  a  tangle  of  vines  and  brush.  We 
soon  come  to  a  straight  tall  tree  before  which  the 
Indian  stops.  Near  the  ground  the  bark  is  black  and 
scarred,  but  farther  up  it  is  smooth  and  silvery.  We 
know  at  once  that  this  is  the  precious  rubber-tree. 

"The  Indian  takes  his  hatchet  and  cuts  into  the 
bark.  Something  like  thick  milk  begins  to  flow.  The 
man  now  fastens  one  of  the  tin  cups  below  the  cut, 
so  the  sap  can  run  into  it.  He  makes  several  other 
cuts,  under  each  of  which  he  fastens  a  cup.  Then  he 
motions  to  us  to  follow  him  once  more  till  he  comes 
[80] 


THE  SURPRISE  PARTY 

to  another  rubber-tree,  where  he  does  what  he  did  to 
the  first  one.  So  on  he  goes,  and  we  after  him, 
though  we  find  it  hard  work. 

4  'At  last  we  turn  back,  making  our  way  under  trees 
from  whose  branches  monkeys  are  looking  down  at 
us.  Suddenly  something  heavy  falls  to  the  ground 
close  beside  us.  We  jump  back  in  fright;  then  we 
laugh  at  ourselves,  as  we  see  what  it  is.  Yet  it  might 
have  hurt  badly  if  it  had  struck  one  of  us." 

"But  what  is  it?    An  animal?"  cried  Theresa. 

* '  No ;  only  a  Brazil  nut.  But  it  is  hard,  and  big  as 
a  baseball.  If  we  stop  to  open  it  we  would  find  it 
full  of  smaller  nuts — the  nice  little  three-cornered 
ones  we  like  to  crack  and  eat  at  home. ' '  Carlos  came 
to  a  sudden  stop.  Then  he  continued,  "I'm  tired! 
Mr.  Joyce,  won't  you  or  Joe  take  us  through  the 
rest  of  the  day?" 

"I  enjoy  best  to  listen  to-night,"  Mr.  Joyce  re- 
plied with  a  smile.  "I  think  Joe  will  be  willing  to 
finish  the  story. ' ' 

Joe,  who  had  really  been  eager  to  speak  for  some 
time,  took  up  the  thread  without  delay. 

"We  hurry  back  along  the  path  because  a  storm 
has  suddenly  arisen.  We  catch  a  glimpse  of  a  sloth 
hanging  upside  down  on  the  low  limb  of  a  tree.  It 
is  half  asleep,  and  does  not  seem  to  notice  that  the 
branch  is  shaking  in  the  wind,  and  is  likely  to  fall 
off.  Lazy,  stupid  thing,  it  cannot  hurry.  If  it  were 
on  the  ground  it  could  not  travel  more  than  six  yards 
in  a  whole  hour. 

"Still  we  hurry  on.  We  notice  a  big  snake  coiled 
[81] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

around  a  tree-trunk,  with  its  shining  eyes  fastened 
on  a  bird  overhead.  The  bird  cannot  move  for 
fright.  Poor  thing !  The  snake  will  soon  be  devour- 
ing it." 

' '  Oh-h ! ' '  said  Theresa  in  pity. 

"The  path  is  now  hidden  by  the  darkness  of  the 
storm.  But  the  Indian  can  still  find  his  way,  and  we 
follow  close  at  his  heels.  We  reach  the  hut,  drenched 
through  from  the  rain  that  is  falling  thick  and  fast. 
We  hurry  inside,  to  find  the  hut  shaking  from  the 
force  of  the  wind.  Every  moment  it  seems  to  us  as 
if  it  would  fall  to  the  ground,  yet  the  Indian's  wife 
does  not  seem  scared.  She  is  used  to  such  storms, 
and  she  goes  on  getting  dinner  ready  for  her  family. 
She  invites  us  to  eat  with  them.  We  are  hungry,  but 
when  we  find  a  dish  of  stewed  monkey  before  us,  we 
find  it  hard  to  swallow. 

"Still  the  wind  howls,  and  we  hear  the  sound  of 
falling  trees  nearby.  It  is  hard  to  think  of  anything 
but  the  storm,  but  we  try  to  listen  as  the  Indian  tells 
us  of  the  jaguar  and  other  fierce  creatures  of  the 
forest.  He  describes  a  strange  army  that  he  once 
met " 

"An  army!"  exclaimed  Senhora  Vasco. 

"Yes,  dear  Senhora,  and  there  were  millions  in 
that  army. ' ' 

* '  Millions ! ' '  exclaimed  Lucy. 

"Yes,  millions."  Joe  smiled  mischievously. 
"This  army" — he  spoke  slowly — "was  made  up  of 
ants.  Straight  ahead  they  marched,  laying  the 
[82] 


THE  SURPRISE  PARTY 

ground  bare  in  their  pathway.  All  the  creatures  of 
the  forest,  big  and  little,  fled  before  them." 

"I'm  glad  I  wasn't  there,"  said  Theresa. 

"And  I,"  echoed  Lucy. 

1 '  The  Indian  also  told  us  stories  of  his  hunts  after 
wild  animals,  and  how  pleased  his  children  once  were 
when  he  brought  home  a  paca,  and  his  wife  cooked  it 
for  them.  No  doubt  it  was  as  great  a  dainty  to  them 
as  a  rich  cake  is  to  us." 

"A  paca?"  questioned  Mrs.  Grayson. 

"It  is  a  small  animal  much  like  a  rat,  only  larger," 
explained  Senhor  Vasco. 

"Ugh!"  cried  his  mother,  shuddering  at  the 
thought  of  eating  a  paca. 

"The  talk  is  so  interesting  that  the  storm  stops 
without  our  noticing  it,"  Joe  went  on.  "But  Mr. 
Joyce  must  have  been  watching.  '  Come,  we  must  get 
back  to  the  steamer,'  he  says,  'or  it  will  be  sailing 
away  without  us.'  After  that  we  stay  in  the  camp 
just  long  enough  to  look  into  the  shed,  where  the 
Indian  points  to  a  big  bowl  nearly  full  of  rubber 
sap.  *  I  make  a  fire  of  palm  nuts, '  he  tells  us.  '  Thick 
smoke  rises  from  the  fire.  I  dip  a  broad  paddle  into 
the  sap.  It  sticks  to  the  paddle  which  I  whirl  about 
in  the  smoke.  The  rubber  grows  thick  and  black. 
Again  I  put  the  paddle  into  the  bowl  of  sap  and  then 
I  whirl  the  paddle  in  the  smoke.  So  on  and  on  till  a 
big  lump  of  rubber — six  pounds  maybe — has  formed 
about  the  paddle.  I  cut  it  off  with  my  knife.  It  is 
ready  to  be  shipped  to  the  big  city.' 

"But  we  must  not  stay  another  minute.  The  In- 
[83] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

dian's  son  paddles  us  back  to  the  steamer  and  we 
quickly  lose  sight  of  the  rubber  gatherer's  little 
home.  But  in  our  last  glimpse  of  him,  he  is  going 
into  the  forest  again  with  a  large  gourd,  to  fill  it  with 
the  sap  that  has  run  into  the  tin  cups  during  the 
day." 

"I  am  glad  I  left  the  story  to  you  boys,"  said  Mr. 
Joyce.  *  *  You  have  told  it  well. ' ' 

"Indeed  they  have,"  said  Senhora  Vasco.  "Why, 
it  seems  as  if  we  had  all  been  with  you. ' ' 

"Dear,  dear!"  suddenly  exclaimed  Mr.  Grayson, 
as  he  looked  at  the  clock.  "Half -past  eleven!  I 
doubt  if  Joe  and  Lucy  ever  before  sat  up  so  late.  We 
must  go  home  at  once,  and  leave  the  hearing  of  more 
adventures  till  another  time. ' ' 

As  the  older  people  bade  each  other  good  night, 
Senhor  Vasco  said  in  a  low  voice :  '  *  My  mother  and 
I  are  grateful  to  the  United  States  for  giving  us  such 
good  friends.  My  children,  especially,  are  very 
happy.  They  have  gained  a  brother  and  sister." 

As  he  spoke,  the  kind  gentleman's  eyes  turned  in 
the  direction  of  the  young  folks.  Joe 's  arm  was  rest- 
ing lovingly  on  his  boy  chum's  shoulder.  Lucy  and 
Theresa  were  kissing  each  other  as  tenderly  as  if  for 
a  long  absence. 

"My  husband  and  I  are  equally  grateful  to  Bra- 
zil," replied  Mrs.  Grayson  earnestly.  "And  for  the 
same  reason." 

"Good  little  Americans,  all  four  of  them,"  said 
Mr.  Joyce.  At  the  same  time  he  nodded  smilingly  at 
the  children,  and  added,  "And  they  are  better  for 
knowing  each  other. ' ' 

[84] 


PART  II 
ARGENTINA   AND   ITS   PAMPAS 


CHAPTER  I 

PEEPS  AT  UBUGUAY 

"DRAZIL  is  the  best  ever,"  said  Joe,  stroking 
•*-*  Polly's  feathers  as  she  roosted  on  his  shoulder. 

"Best  ever,"  echoed  the  bird. 

"  What  good  times  we've  had  since  we  came  here !" 
Lucy  drew  a  long  breath  of  delight  at  the  thought, 
and  then  her  mother  entered  the  room  breathless, 
with  cheeks  as  rosy  as  the  children's,  and  eyes  like 
bright  stars. 

"What  w  the  matter,  Mummie  dear?"  cried  Joe, 
and  followed  with,  "Have  you  got  a  letter  of  good 
news!  Are  some  of  the  home  folks  coming?" 

Mrs.  Grayson  shook  her  head. 

'  *  But  it 's  good  news  for  you  children, ' '  she  said  as 
she  got  her  breath.  "Your  father  has  telephoned  to 
me  that  it  is  all  settled.  He  has  had  a  long  talk  with 
Senhor  Vasco  and  given  his  consent." 

The  twins  looked  puzzled. 

"Consent  to  what?"  asked  Joe. 

"Our  good  friend  wants  you  both  to "  the  dear 

lady  stopped  because  of  a  queer  little  lump  in  her 
throat.  Then  she  went  on,  *  *  go  with  him  and  Theresa 
on  a  long  journey." 

"A  long  journey!"  cried  the  twins  together. 
[87] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

''Yes.  You  know  he  has  decided  to  retire  from 
business ;  but  he  is  restless  at  the  thought  of  so  much 
time  on  his  hands,  and  wishes  to  travel.  His  mother 
is  not  able  to  go,  but  he  wants  to  take  the  children 
for  a  trip  into  other  countries  of  South  America. 
He  invites  you  to  join  them — me,  too,  but  I  couldn't 
leave  your  father  for  so  long. ' ' 

"0  Mummie!  you  must  go,"  begged  Lucy.     . 

"No,  my  darling,  but  I  can't  be  selfish  and  deprive 
you  of  such  an  opportunity.  Miss  Lee,  however,  has 
agreed  to  take  my  place." 

"But  isn't  Theresa's  governess  going  too?"  asked 
Lucy. 

"No ;  she  told  Senhor  Vasco  last  week  that  she  will 
soon  be  married,  and  so  must  give  up  her  work.  Miss 
Lee,  however,  is  pleased  at  the  idea  of  going  and  is 
quite  ready  to  take  charge  of  you  all. ' ' 

"I  just  love  Senhor  Vasco,"  said  Lucy  enthusiasti- 
cally. 

1  i  He 's  a  regular  trump ! ' '  added  Joe.  ' '  When  are 
we  to  start?" 

"As  soon  as  everything  can  be  got  ready.  You  see 
you  are  to  be  away  a  long  time. ' ' 

"We'll  write  long  letters  and  tell  you  about  every- 
thing we  see,"  said  Lucy,  giving  her  mother  a  big 
hug. 

Thus  the  matter  was  settled  The  next  few  days 
were  so  busy  that,  as  Lucy  said  afterward,  they  went 
by  like  a  dream.  Then,  one  bright  clear  morning  in 
August  a  big  ship  sailed  out  of  Rio's  harbor  and  on 
it  went  a  party  of  sightseers  bound  for  Argentina. 
[88] 


FEEPS  AT  URUGUAY 

On  sped  the  ship  past  the  noble  mountains,  and  out 
into  the  big  ocean  where  Joe  and  Carlos  quickly 
sighted  a  whale  blowing  in  the  distance.  Then  south- 
ward it  moved  for  hours  till  the  pilot  made  a  sudden 
turn  to  the  west. 

"We  will  soon  reach  Montevideo,  the  capital  of 
the  little  republic  of  Uruguay,"  Senhor  Vasco  told 
the  children.  "The  ship  will  stop  there  long  enough 
for  us  to  see  the  city ;  then  we  will  cross  the  La  Plata 
river  and  settle  down  for  several  days  in  Buenos 
Aires,  the  largest  city  in  Argentina  and  in  fact  in  all 
South  America." 

"That  must  be  Montevideo  now,"  cried  Carlos, 
looking  through  a  small  telescope  his  father  had 
brought  along. 

"Monte-video — that  means,  'I  see  the  mountain/  " 
said  Joe,  turning  to  Miss  Lee.  She  nodded  her  head 
but  said  thoughtfully, ' '  The  mountain  behind  the  city 
that  gave  it  the  name  is  scarcely  more  than  a  hill. ' ' 

"It's  a  pretty  harbor,"  said  Lucy,  as  the  ship 
made  its  way  inside. 

"It's  shaped  like  a  horse-shoe,"  said  Theresa,  who 
had  been  silently  looking. 

'  *  There  are  so  many  different  flags  on  the  vessels 
anchored  here,  it  seems  as  if  all  the  countries  in  the 
world  must  be  represented,"  said  Miss  Lee. 

"There's  our  own  red,  white  and  blue  ahead  of  us. 
Hurray!"  shouted  Joe. 

A  moment  afterward,  the  ship  came  to  a  stand- 
still. It  was  almost  instantly  surrounded  by  small 
boats,  all  of  whose  owners  seemed  anxious  to  secure 
[89] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

passengers  for  the  shore.  Senhor  Vasco  chose  a  boat 
with  two  jolly-looking  rowers,  who  soon  landed  the 
travelers  at  a  big  wharf. 

' '  Now  we  can  set  about  *  doing  the  city, '  ' '  declared 
Carlos,  and  the  twins  laughed  at  their  friend 's  using 
American  slang. 

"How  clean  everything  looks !"  said  Miss  Lee,  as 
the  party  reached  one  of  the  main  streets. 

"And  what  big  buildings — it  makes  me  think  of 
New  York, ' '  added  Joe. 

"Look  quick,  everybody,  at  these  funny  carts 
drawn  by  mules, ' '  broke  in  Lucy.  * '  What  big,  clumsy 
wheels  they  have ! ' ' 

"The  noise  they  make  is  enough  to  give  one  a 
headache,"  Miss  Lee  declared,  with  a  smile  that 
showed  they  had  not  made  her  head  ache  yet,  at  any 
rate. 

"We  will  take  a  car  that  will  carry  us  out  of  this 
noisy  quarter,"  said  Senhor  Vasco,  who  had  been  in 
Montevideo  a  few  years  before.  ' '  Ah !  the  very  one 
we  need  is  coming  now. ' ' 

Shortly  afterward  the  travelers  were  whirling  past 
big  blocks,  and  lovely  squares  in  which  they  caught 
glimpses  of  beautiful  plants  and  trees  and  marble 
statues. 

"Not  as  many  palms  here  as  in  Rio,"  remarked 
Lucy. 

"Look,  do  look!"  whispered  Carlos,  nudging  Joe. 

A  young  girl  was  standing  in  the  open  window  of  a 

house  which  the  car  was  passing.    She  did  not  move ; 

she  was  staring  at  a  richly-dressed  young  man  on  the 

[90] 


PEEPS  AT  URUGUAY 

sidewalk,  and  he  was  also  standing  still  and  staring 
at  her. 

' '  They  are  making  love  to  each  other, ' '  Carlos  con- 
tinued. "Father  has  told  me  about  this  queer,  Uru- 
guay fashion.  Perhaps  the  young  man  has  been 
standing  there  for  hours.  It  is  his  way  of  telling  the 
girl  he  is  in  love  with  her.  He  probably  feels  happy 
because  she  has  opened  the  window  and  keeps  look- 
ing at  him.  It  is  her  way  of  saying:  'I  think  you 
are  very  nice.  Go  to  my  father  and  ask  if  he  will  let 
you  marry  me. '  ' 

"Hm!  It's  a  sort  of  a  game,  isn't  it?"  Joe  was 
grinning. 

"Yes,  and  it  has  a  name — it  is  called  ' playing  the 
dragon.'  ' 

"What  a  beautiful  house — it's  a  regular  palace!" 
said  Lucy  from  the  seat  behind  the  boys.  The  car 
was  now  moving  through  the  suburbs  where  the 
wealthy  people  of  Montevideo  have  their  homes.  The 
house,  made  of  cement,  was  decorated  with  frescoes. 
There  were  tall  trees  and  lovely  gardens  about  it. 
The  shades  were  drawn  as  if  the  owners  were  away. 

"That  may  be  the  house  of  a  rich  cattle-raiser," 
suggested  Senhor  Vasco.  "As  spring  opens,  he  and 
his  family  probably  leave  this  mansion  to  spend  the 
summer  on  their  ranch  in  the  country.  Very  likely 
there  are  floors  and  pillars  of  marble  in  this  city 
home." 

"Ugh!"  Joe  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "Marble 
floors  may  make  it  seem  like  a  palace,  but  they  can't 
be  cosy  in  winter." 

[91] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"  Quite  true,  Joe,  especially  where  there  are  no 
stoves  to  warm  the  high-ceilinged  rooms.  The 
people  of  Uruguay  have  an  idea  that  the  only  health- 
ful heat  comes  from  the  sun.  So — this  will  make  you 
smile — the  ladies  here  often  receive  their  callers  in 
winter  with  hot-water  bottles  at  their  feet  and  heavy 
cloaks  about  their  shoulders." 

"How  queer  some  people  are!"  said  Lucy. 

"And  how  queer  my  stomach  feels,"  said  Theresa 
quite  seriously. 

Every  one  laughed. 

"You  are  hungry,  little  daughter,"  said  Senhor 
Vasco  with  a  smile,  "and  in  that  case  we'll  change 
over  into  the  next  car  headed  for  the  city  and  get 
dinner  at  one  of  the  best  hotels." 

Miss  Lee,  as  well  as  the  children,  was  pleased  at 
the  idea — still  more  so,  when  a  half  hour  later  they 
were  busy  eating  a  dinner  of  the  choicest  things  the 
city  could  offer. 

"I  guess  the  people  here  have  much  the  same 
tastes  as  Brazilians,"  remarked  Joe  in  a  low  tone. 
"Several  of  those  around  us  have  ordered  jerked 
beef." 

* '  Well  they  may, ' '  said  Senhor  Vasco.  * '  Uruguay 
is  a  cattle  country ;  it  dries  millions  of  pounds  of  beef 
a  year  for  other  lands,  besides  immense  quantities 
that  are  eaten  by  the  people  here. 

"I  would  like  to  take  you  about  the  country,"  he 
continued,  "but  I  have  already  planned  to  visit  so 
many  places  before  our  journey  is  over,  that  I  fear 
we  must  slight  Uruguay  this  time." 
[92] 


PEEPS  AT  URUGUAY 

"If  we  only  had  an  aeroplane  we  could  see  a  great 
deal  in  a  single  day, ' '  said  Joe. 

"If!"     Carlos  laughed. 

"See  here!"  Senhor  Vasco's  eyes  twinkled. 
"While  we  are  eating  this  delicious  pineapple  pud- 
ding, there's  nothing  to  hinder  our  skimming  over 
the  little  republic  in  a  thought  aeroplane,  anyway." 

The  children  nodded  their  heads  in  delight. 

"Here  we  go,  then;  make  up  your  minds  not  to 
feel  dizzy.  Ah,  as  we  rise,  you  can  get  a  good  view 
of  the  Paris  of  South  America,  as  the  people  here 
call  their  city.  Below  us  is  the  Solis  Theater  spread- 
ing over  two  acres.  Three  thousand  people  can  sit 
in  it  at  one  time. ' ' 

"Whew!"    exclaimed  Joe. 

"And  now  we  can  get  a  good  view  of  the  grand 
cathedral  and  the  museum,  and — yes,  that  is  the  big 
university. ' ' 

"I  can  see  a  procession  of  young  men  leaving  the 
building,"  said  Carlos,  entering  into  the  fun  of 
make-believe. 

"Now  then,  away  we  sail — so  fast  that  you  must 
hold  on  tight — over  many  miles  of  fresh  green  plains 
where  thousands  of  horses  and  cattle  are  feeding. 
Do  you  see  that  mud  hut?  It  is  the  home  of  a  cat- 
tle man.  His  children  are  playing  nearby;  they 
must  live  almost  as  wild  a  life  as  the  cattle. ' ' 

"Two  of  the  boys  are  riding  horses  bareback;  I 
guess  they  are  racing  with  each  other,"  said  Joe, 
with  eyes  that  tried  to  look  serious. 

"As  we  fly  onward,"  continued  Senhor  Vasco,  "we 
[93] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

notice  a  few  towns,  but  they  are  small  and  far  apart. 
Montevideo  is,  in  fact,  the  only  real  city  in  Uruguay. 
It  is  a  busy  one  because  it  is  the  port  from  which  are 
shipped  all  the  beef  and  hides  and  beef-extract  sent 
to  other  countries.  Oho !  This  reminds  me  that  we 
must  get  a  glimpse  of  Fray  Bentos.  Here  it  is,  with 
its  large  buildings,  to  which  thousands  of  cattle  are 
driven  every  year  to  be  killed,  and  what  for!  That 
millions  of  pounds  of  beef  may  be  obtained  for 
making  beef  tea." 

Theresa  shuddered.  She  was  thinking  of  the  poor 
animals  which  had  to  be  killed  that  sick  human  be- 
ings might  gain  strength. 

"As  we  leave  Fray  Bentos  behind  us,"  Senhor 
Vasco  went  on,  "we  find  ourselves  near  a  factory 
town.  Great  quantities  of  dried  beef  are  prepared 
here.  But  dear  me ! ' '  He  had  taken  out  his  watch 
and  was  looking  at  the  time.  "We  must  get  back 
to  Montevideo  at  once,  as  our  steamer  will  leave  in 
an  hour." 

"I  like  to  ride  in  an  aeroplane,"  said  Lucy,  when 
the  merry  party  was  soon  afterward  settled  in  a  lit- 
tle steam  launch  to  be  carried  out  to  the  ship. 

"But  the  whirring  sound  makes  me  nervous," 
Miss  Lee  smiled;  "and  my  ears  feel  queer  when  I 
am  as  high  up  in  the  air  as  we  were  a  little  while 
ago." 

The  others  laughed  at  her  entering  into  the  fun  so 
heartily. 

1 '  And  now  for  Buenos  Aires ! ' '  cried  Joe  delight- 
[94] 


PEEPS  AT  URUGUAY 

edly,  as  the  launch  drew  up  beside  the  big  steamer. 
" There '11  be  plenty  to  see  there,  I'm  sure." 

As  the  ship  steamed  out  into  the  muddy,  yellowish 
water  of  the  La  Plata  river,  Miss  Lee  told  the  chil- 
dren that  English  people  often  called  it  the  River 
Plate. 

"On  the  map  of  my  geography  it  looks  almost  all 
mouth,"  said  Lucy. 

"Like  a  sculpin,"  suggested  Joe. 

By  this  time  the  ship  had  begun  to  rock  and  plunge, 
for  the  water  was  getting  rougher  every  minute. 

"I  think — I — feel — a  bit  queer,"  said  Miss  Lee 
faintly.  The  young  girl 's  face  was  a  grayish  white. 

"You  must  be  seasick.  Let  me  lead  you  to  your 
stateroom,"  said  Senhor  Vasco. 

"River-sick,  I  should  say,"  said  Joe,  turning  to 
the  other  children.  "But,  Lucy,  what's  the  matter 
with  you ! ' ' 

"The  ship  seems  to  be  going  round."  As  Lucy 
spoke  she  leaned  limply  against  the  deck-rail. 

"Well,  I  never!  You  sailed  down  through  the 

Atlantic  all  right,  and  now "  Joe's  incfiith 

twitched  with  a  longing  to  laugh.  He  did  not  finish 
the  sentence,  for  he  saw  that  his  sister  was  in  real 
distress. 

"Here,  take  my  arm,  twin  dear,  and  we'll  follow 
Miss  Lee  double  quick, ' '  he  said.  "  I  '11  be  back  again 
in  a  minute,"  he  promised  Carlos  and  Theresa,  who 
seemed  to  be  actually  enjoying  the  rocking  of  the 
ship. 


[95] 


CHAPTER  n 

NEW   SIGHTS 

T  AST  night  was  the  longest  I  ever  knew,"  de- 
••-^  clared  Lucy.  The  little  girl  was  standing  with 
Senhor  Vasco  and  Theresa  on  the  upper  deck  of  the 
steamer.  She  was  still  a  little  pale,  but  her  eyes 
were  as  bright  and  her  dimples  as  deep  as  usual. 

"Seasickness  is  just  terrible  while  it  lasts,"  she 
continued,  "but  now  it's  over,  it  doesn't  seem  as  if 
it  could  have  been  real. ' ' 

"And  before  us  is  something  that  is  real,"  said 
Senhor  Vasco  with  a  smile.  "In  this  morning  sun- 
light Buenos  Aires  certainly  looks  beautiful." 

' '  Isn  't  it  funny  1 ' '  said  Joe,  coming  up  with  Car- 
los and  Miss  Lee.  "The  captain  just  told  me  that 
the  people  of  Buenos  Aires  call  their  city  the  Paris 
of  South  America,  just  as  the  people  of  Montevideo 
do  theirs." 

"The  two  cities  are  jealous  of  each  other,"  said 
Senhor  Vasco.  "Perhaps  it  is  because  Uruguay 
was  once  a  part  of  Argentina." 

"The  Spaniards  discovered  Buenos  Aires,"  Car- 
los explained  to  the  twins,  "and  they  must  have 
found  the  air  good  here  or  they  would  not  have 
named  the  city  as  they  did. ' ' 
[97] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"I  see — Buenos  Aires  means  good  airs/'  said 
Lucy,  thinking  aloud. 

"And  it's  the  biggest  city  in  South  America,*'  said 
Theresa;  "bigger  even  than  our  dear  Rio." 

The  steamer  was  now  so  near  the  shore  that  many 
sky-scrapers  and  elevators  could  be  plainly  seen,  as 
well  as  wharves  crowded  with  busy  workmen. 

' '  There  are  many  English  people  in  Buenos  Aires, 
which  they  often  call  B.  A.  for  short,"  explained 
Senhor  Vasco.  "A  great  many  of  them  carry  on  a 
big  trade  with  other  countries,  sending  millions  of 
pounds  of  beef  and  thousands  of  hides  from  this  port 
every  year,  besides  great  quantities  of  grain." 

"Look!  look!"  cried  Joe,  pointing  to  some  ele- 
vators, whose  long  tongues  were  pouring  wheat  into 
the  holds  of  ships  drawn  up  below  them. 

"That  wheat  was  raised  on  the  plains  of  Argen- 
tina and  is  now  going  out  to  feed  rosy-cheeked  boys 
and  girls  in  other  lands, ' '  Miss  Lee  told  the  children. 

"We're  close  to  the  wharf  now,"  said  Theresa 
excitedly. 

"There  goes  the  gangplank,"  said  her  brother. 
"We  must  hurry  and  get  into  line." 

In  the  midst  of  the  bustle  which  followed,  Lucy 
got  a  chance  to  whisper  to  Joe,  "Carlos  is  getting 
real  American.  Six  months  ago  he  never  would 
have  thought  of  hurrying,  for  the  best  thing  in  the 
world." 

As  Senhor  Vasco  led  the  way  to  a  motor  car,  Miss 
Lee  cried  out  at  the  noise  of  the  city.  "The  clank- 
[98] 


NEW  SIGHTS 

ing  and  screeching  of  the  overhead  railroad  is  quite 
dreadful,"  she  declared. 

"And  what  narrow,  crowded  streets!"  said  The- 
resa. 

"Plenty  of  policemen  to  keep  order,"  added  Car- 
los. "They  seem  to  be  everywhere.  " 

"Funny  little  fellows — almost  as  dark  as  In- 
dians," remarked  Joe.  "They  wear  odd  uniforms, 
too — white  gaiters  and  wands,  with  blue  suits." 

"They  are,  no  doubt,  partly  Italian  or  Spanish 
and  partly  Indian,"  commented  Senhor  Vasco. 
"There  are,  I  believe,  thousands  of  Italians  as  well 
as  the  Spaniards  and  English  people  in  the  city. 
Nearly  every  one  here  speaks  Spanish,  however." 

As  he  spoke,  the  motor  car  came  to  a  standstill  in 
front  of  a  hotel  and  the  driver  sprang  out  to  help  the 
party  alight. 

After  a  few  minutes  spent  in  their  rooms  '  *  fresh- 
ening up,"  the  travelers  went  to  the  dining-hall, 
where  Joe  declared  he  was  so  hungry  he  could  eat 
an  ox. 

"  Or  a  part  of  one,  at  any  rate,  like  the  little  girl 
at  the  next  table,"  said  Miss  Lee.  ' ' She  has  a  large 
portion  of  boiled  beef  before  her  and  it  seems  to  be 
rapidly  disappearing." 

"I've  changed  my  mind,  and  will  order  roast  lamb, 
with  cheese  and  macaroni,"  said  Joe,  after  looking 
over  the  bill  of  fare. 

"That's  an  Italian  dish.    I  suppose  it's  to  suit 
the  taste  of  the  Italians  here,"  said  Miss  Lee. 
[99] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"I  shall  order  fresh  roasted  armadillo,"  decided 
Senhor  Vasco. 

"I,  too,"  said  Lucy,  always  ready  for  something 
new. 

"And  I,  the  same,"  said  Theresa  and  Carlos. 

"It's  so  good,"  agreed  the  children  after  tasting 
the  tender  white  meat.  "And  much  like  broiled 
chicken!"  added  Lucy. 

The  dessert  proved  to  be  equally  delicious.  ' '  These 
preserved  pears  with  flower-shaped  cakes  couldn't 
be  beaten,"  said  Joe. 

"Such  pretty  cakes  are  almost  too  nice  to  eat," 
said  Theresa. 

' '  Nevertheless,  they  are  getting  out  of  sight  pretty 
fast."  Carlos  laughed  as  he  spoke. 

As  the  party  left  the  dining-room,  Senhor  Vasco 
explained  that  he  had  to  attend  to  a  little  business 
that  afternoon,  but  he  had  engaged  a  young  Italian 
guide  to  show  Miss  Lee  and  the  children  around  the 
city.  "The  hotel  proprietor,"  he  said,  "recom- 
mends the  youth  as  quite  trusty ;  so,  as  soon  as  you 
are  ready,  Beppo  will  take  you  to  see  the  sights. ' ' 

A  half -hour  later,  a  slim  lad  of  sixteen,  with  olive 
skin  and  soft  dark  eyes,  was  conducting  the  pretty 
governess  and  her  four  charges  past  rows  of  brick 
or  cement  buildings,  whose  front  walls  were  orna- 
mented with  scrolls  and  roses  and  other  designs. 

"You  will  notice  many  beautiful  doors,"  said  the 

young  guide.     "They  came  from  across  the  great 

ocean.     This  is  because  there  is  little  building-wood 

in  Argentina — little  stone  either.    Sometimes  out 

[100] 


NEW  SIGHTS 

on  the  pampas" — the  boy  pointed  westward  toward 
the  great  plains — "people  raise  peach-trees  for 
kindling-wood,  because  these  trees  will  grow  on  our 
soil.  It  often  happens  that  there  is  so  much  fruit, 
it  falls  to  the  ground  only  to  lie  there  and  rot,  or  else 
it  is  given  to  the  pigs." 

"What  a  pity!  There  would  be  some  lively  pick- 
ing if  I  were  around,"  said  Joe.  "I  never  yet  got 
tired  of  eating  peaches." 

"Ah!  here  we  are  in  the  Plaza  de  Mayo,"  said 
the  young  guide.  "You  will  think  it  beautiful.  It 
has  its  name,  Mayo,  in  honor  of  the  month  when  our 
people  began  their  fight  for  freedom  against  the  rule 
of  Spain.  Not  long  afterward  we  became  a  repub- 
lic." 

While  the  youth  talked,  he  pointed  out  the  cathe- 
dral on  one  side  of  the  square,  saying  it  would  hold 
nine  thousand  people ;  he  also  showed  the  big  build- 
ing in  which  the  President  of  Argentina  attends  to 
most  of  the  country's  business. 

"Now,  perhaps  you  would  like  to  go  to  the  city 
market, ' '  he  said. 

As  the  party  neared  the  market,  they  passed  two 
men  with  heavy  packs  fastened  on  their  backs  with 
ropes. 

"Those  men  are  porters,"  explained  Beppo. 
*  *  There  are  many  of  them  in  the  city  and  almost  all 
came  from  Spain. ' ' 

"They  still  dress  in  Spanish  fashion,"  said  Car- 
los.    "Their  short  jackets  and  the  gay  sashes  wound 
around  their  waists  tell  that." 
[101] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

' '  Look,  look ! ' '  cried  Joe.  * '  There  *s  a  man  driving 
a  flock  of  turkeys  right  through  the  street." 

"He  must  have  got  them  at  the  market,"  explained 
Beppo,  ' '  and  is  going  to  peddle  them  from  house  to 
house." 

When  the  sightseers  had  entered  the  market,  they 
saw  stalls  filled  with  fresh  and  dried  beef,  and  quan- 
tities of  fruit  and  vegetables. 

"Not  as  fine  fruit  as  at  home,"  Carlos  said  to  his 
sister. 

Beppo  heard  him.  "In  the  spring,"  he  said 
quickly,  "our  fruit  is  not  so  plentiful  as  by-and-by. 
Then,  what  beau-ti-ful  grapes  and  peaches  and 
pears!"  The  lad  drew  out  the  word  beautiful 

He  now  pointed  to  a  pile  of  armadillos  whose  shells 
looked  much  like  those  of  turtles;  they  had  funny 
little  eyes. 

"I  have  caught  many  armadillos  when  I  was  at 
home  on  the  pampas,"  said  Beppo.  "One  must  get 
them  at  night  because  they  stay  in  their  holes  all  day. 
But  when  the  dark  comes  they  creep  out  in  search  of 
fruits  and  roots. ' ' 

Before  leaving  the  market  the  party  passed  stalls 
filled  with  live  chickens  which  filled  the  place  with 
their  noisy  squawking.  Miss  Lee  drew  a  sigh  of 
relief  on  reaching  the  outside  air. 

"We  will  now,  if  you  like,  take  a  car  for  the  Calle 
Florida, ' '  said  Beppo.  "  It  is  the  fashionable  shop- 
ping street,  and  as  it  is  nearly  five  o'clock,  it  is  the 
time  when  the  ladies  of  the  city  walk  there  freely. 
[102] 


NEW  SIGHTS 

If  they  went  out  earlier,  they  would  be  much  stared 
at." 

When  the  sightseers  got  out  of  the  car  at  the  Calle 
Florida,  they  found  the  sidewalks  crowded  with  peo- 
ple. They  managed  to  see,  however,  that  many  of 
the  stores  were  beautiful.  Joe  came  to  a  standstill 
in  front  of  a  large  window. 

"What  brilliant  diamonds  and  rubies  and  sap- 
phires!'* he  exclaimed. 

To  please  him,  Miss  Lee  stepped  up  to  his  side  to 
examine  the  gems.  An  instant  afterward,  as  she 
turned  around,  she  cried,  "Where's  Theresa?" 

The  little  girl  was  nowhere  in  sight. 

"Dear!  dear!"  Miss  Lee  wrung  her  hands  in 
fright  at  the  thought  of  timid  little  Theresa  lost  in 
the  crowd  of  strange  people. 

"Step  inside  this  store,  lady — quick,"  said  Beppo. 
"I  go  at  once  after  her." 

"Joe  and  I  will  go  in  one  direction,  you  in  the 
other,"  said  Carlos  promptly.  He  spoke  quietly, 
but  his  eyes  showed  he  was  worried  for  his  sister's 
safety. 

The  next  five  minutes  seemed  like  hours  to  Miss 
Lee  and  Lucy  as  they  stood  watching  from  inside  the 
store. 

"Suppose  Theresa's  been  run  over!"  suggested 
Lucy  with  a  lump  in  her  throat. 

"Or  kidnapped,"  thought  Miss  Lee  in  agony. 
And  then,  as  she  began  to  tremble  with  fear,  Beppo 
appeared  with  Theresa,  out  of  breath  and  trembling, 
but  quite  safe. 

[103] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"Now  I  go  after  the  boys,"  said  the  young  Italian 
quickly. 

By  the  time  the  boys  had  been  brought  back,  The- 
resa had  regained  her  breath  enough  to  explain  how 
she  had  got  astray.  As  the  others  turned  to  look  in 
the  jeweler's  window,  she  had  caught  sight  of  the 
candies  in  a  confectioner 's  store  just  beyond.  ' '  They 
were  beautiful  candies,"  she  said,  "shaped  like 
prickly  pears  and  plums  and  peaches,  and  then — and 
then — I  looked  around  and  couldn't  see  any  of  you, 
and  I  was  so  scared!"  At  this  she  began  to  cry. 
"I  didn't  know  what  to  do,"  she  went  on  between 
her  sobs.  "People  in  the  crowd  began  to  look  at  me, 
and  a  fierce-looking  man  stepped  up  and  asked  if  I 
was  lost.  I  didn't  answer,  but  hurried  away  through 
the  crowd  and  up  the  street,  hoping  to  catch  up  with 
you." 

"You  are  safe  now,  my  darling,"  said  Miss  Lee, 
'  *  and  I  shall  take  care  you  are  not  away  from  my  side 
again  so  long  as  we  are  in  this  city." 

When  the  sightseers  got  back  to  the  hotel  they 
found  Senhor  Vasco  waiting  for  them,  as  well  as 
letters  from  the  dear  ones  in  Eio. 

"I  have  pleasant  news,"  said  Senhor  Vasco  gaily. 
' '  One  of  the  first  persons  I  met  this  afternoon  was  an 
English  friend,  Mr.  Wolfe,  whom  I  had  not  seen  for 
many  years.  He  owns  an  estancia  out  on  the  pam- 
pas, but  he  and  his  family  spend  their  winters  here 
in  Buenos  Aires.  He  has  promised  to  call  on  us 
with  his  wife  and  son  this  evening." 
[104]  , 


NEW  SIGHTS 

"That  will  be  delightful,"  said  Miss  Lee,  and  the 
children  nodded  their  heads  in  agreement. 

"What  is  an  estancia?"  Lucy  asked  Carlos,  as  his 
father  turned  to  read  the  evening  newspaper. 

"It's  Spanish  for  what  you  Americans  would  call 
a  big  farm  or  ranch,"  he  answered.  "Let's  play 
dominoes  while  we  are  waiting  for  the  company,"  he 
proposed.  The  children  gathered  round  the  table 
for  the  game  and  Miss  Lee  settled  herself  to  write 
a  letter.  She  did  not  have  a  chance  to  finish  it, 
however,  before  Mr.  Wolfe  arrived  with  his  wife  and 
son. 

The  callers  did  not  stay  very  long,  because  they 
felt  the  travelers  must  be  tired  after  the  day's  ex- 
citement. 

"But  they  are  perfectly  lovely,"  declared  Lucy, 
after  they  had  gone. 

"I  like  their  son  James — he's  a  chummy  sort  of 
boy, ' '  chimed  in  Joe. 

"How  kind  they  were  to  ask  us  all  to  visit  them 
for  a  week,"  said  Miss  Lee.  "I  felt  acquainted  with 
Mrs.  Wolfe  at  once.  Perhaps  it  was  because  of  her 
sad  smile.  How  she  must  miss  the  little  daughter 
she  lost  last  year!" 

"Off  to  bed,  young  folks,"  said  Senhor  Vasco. 
' '  Then  you  will  be  fresh  for  an  early  start  to-mor- 
row for  our  friends'  home.  Their  motor  car  will 
come  for  us  at  nine  o  'clock. ' ' 

"I'm  half  asleep  now,"  said  Carlos,  whose  eyes 
had  been  blinking  for  some  time. 

"And  I  am  three-quarters,"  mumbled  Theresa, 
[105] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

who  had  been  dozing  against  Miss  Lee's  shoulder 
during  most  of  the  call. 

The  good-nights  were  said  speedily  and  the  young 
travelers  started  for  Dreamland  with  little  more  de- 
lay. It  was,  therefore,  not  strange  that  nine  o  'clock 
next  morning  found  them  ready  and  waiting  for 
their  friends'  car,  which  arrived  shortly  afterward. 

A  half-hour  later  it  brought  them  to  a  pretty  ce- 
ment villa  shaded  by  tall  eucalyptus  and  acacia  trees. 
Mrs.  Wolfe  and  her  son  James  were  already  stand- 
ing in  the  doorway  to  welcome  their  guests.  The 
English  lad  immediately  took  possession  of  Joe  and 
Carlos  and  carried  them  off  for  a  game  of  tennis  in 
the  court  behind  the  house.  Mrs.  Wolfe  was  soon 
planning  with  Miss  Lee  for  the  next  few  days.  Her 
visitors,  she  said,  must,  of  course,  go  to  Palermo 
Park  and  the  Botanical  Gardens.  They  must  also 
ride  out  to  La  Plata  and  see  the  treasures  in  the 
Zoological  Gardens  there. 

A  week  flew  by  "like  the  wind"  for  the  children. 
Joe  discovered  to  his  delight  that  James  liked  foot- 
ball as  well  as  he  did,  and  that  he  also  played  the 
English  games,  cricket  and  polo,  which  the  American 
lad  wished  to  learn. 

'  *  If  you  will  come  out  to  visit  us  on  our  estancia, ' ' 
James  told  him,  "you  can  have  a  fine  chance  to  learn 
polo,  because  we  have  ponies  there."  Joe  answered 
with  a  whistle  of  longing. 

In  the  midst  of  the  good  times,  Lucy  managed  to 
write  a  long  letter  to  her  mother,  which  she  ended 
by  saying : 

[106] 


NEW  SIGHTS 

Mrs.  Wolfe  is  just  spoiling  Theresa  and  me.  She  gives 
us  everything  nice  she  can  think  of,  and  she  takes  us  riding 
every  day.  There  isn't  any  time  for  study,  but  we  are 
learning  a  great  deal,  just  the  same. 

Oh,  I  wish  you  could  have  gone  with  us  to  Palermo  Park. 
It  is  ever  so  big  and  it's  just  beautiful.  There  are  long 
avenues  of  palms,  and  little  streams,  and  pretty  lakes  on 
which  I  saw  children  rowing  about.  Other  children  were 
playing  on  the  grass — some  of  them  Italian,  some  Spanish, 
and  some  English. 

I  must  not  forget  to  mention  the  race-course  at  Palermo 
Park,  where  we  saw  ever  so  many  handsome  horses.  The 
people  in  this  city  are  crazy  over  racing,  as  Joe  says. 

But  the  Botanical  Gardens!  They  are  wonderful.  I 
saw  trees  and  plants  there  that  grow  in  almost  every  part 
of  the  world.  One  of  the  strangest  trees  of  all  is  the  ombu 
which  grows  best  on  the  pampas.  Its  branches  and  even  its 
roots  which  often  stick  out  of  the  ground,  are  twisted  into 
shapes  that  make  one  think  of  queer-looking  beasts.  The 
trunk  is  hollow,  and  if  you  should  press  your  finger  hard 
against  it,  you  would  find  it  soft  like  pulp. 

I've  so  much  more  to  tell  you,  but  I  must  stop  now. 
Mrs.  Wolfe  is  calling  to  me  to  get  ready  for  a  ride  to  La 
Plata.  So  good-by,  with  my  dearest  love  to  you  and  Daddie 
and  Senhora  Vasco. 

LUCY. 

P.S.  Joe  will  write  to  Daddie  this  evening.  Does 
Polly  seem  lonesome? 


[107] 


CHAPTER  in 

OFF   TO   LA   PLATA 

T  AM  glad  you  can  take  a  day  off  from  business," 
•••  Mrs.  Wolfe  told  her  husband,  as  the  pleasure- 
seekers  settled  themselves  in  a  comfortable  train 
bound  for  La  Plata.  *  *  It  is  so  good  to  have  you  with 
us  also, ' '  she  added,  turning  to  Senhor  Vasco.  * '  Ever 
since  you  came,  you  have  been  so  busy  seeing  your 
men  friends  in  the  city  that  we  ladies  have  had  little 
of  your  company." 

"I  am  indeed  glad  to  be  with  you  now,"  said  the 
Senhor. 

"I  wonder  if  our  friends  have  noticed  what  a  fine 
car  this  is,  and  how  smoothly  it  travels,"  said  Mr. 
Wolfe,  changing  the  subject.  "We  Argentines  are 
proud  of  our  railroads.  One  line,  which  has  not 
been  built  many  years,  stretches  across  the  country 
and  even  crosses  the  Andes.  I  fancy" — he  smiled 
at  the  little  girls  as  he  spoke — ' '  the  wild  creatures  of 
the  pampas  were  scared  when  the  first  trains  whizzed 
past  them  with  their  shrieking  engines.  It  had  been 
pretty  quiet  till  then." 

"Were  there  herds  of  buffalo,  such  as  used  to  wan- 
der over  our  great  plains?"  asked  Joe. 

"No,  but  there  were  thousands  of  wild  horses  and 
[109] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

cattle,  besides  hares  and  armadillos,  deer  and  pole- 
cats— yes,  and  jaguars  and  pumas  sometimes  left 
their  mountain  homes  to  steal  over  the  pampas  in 
search  of  prey." 

"Who  were  the  first  white  people  in  Argentina?" 
asked  Lucy. 

"The  Spaniards,"  promptly  replied  Carlos.  "A 
man  named  Solis  sailed  into  the  Bio  de  la  Plata  -and 
visited  the  country  nearby,  but  he  died  soon  after- 
ward. And  then — and  then " 

"And  then  came  Sebastian  Cabot,"  said  James, 
quite  ready  to  go  on  with  the  story.  "He  met  In- 
dians and  looked  greedily  at  their  gold  ornaments. 
*  Aha ! '  he  thought,  '  there  must  be  rich  mines  in  the 
country. '  He  set  his  men  to  search  for  the  gold,  and 
made  a  settlement  on  the  big  river.  Then  he  went 
home  to  tell  the  king  about  his  discovery. 

"After  that,  more  Spaniards  came  here,  besides 
English  and  Portuguese.  The  different  settlers 
quarreled  with  one  another  and  with  the  Indians. 
After  a  while  Juan  Manuel  Eosas  was  made  gov- 
ernor of  the  country.  He  was  very  cruel  to  the  peo- 
ple. Then  came  a  better  governor,  but  he  wasn't  all 
right.  And  at  last  there  was  a  revolution,  when 
Spain  had  to  give  up  her  rule  and  we  became  a  re- 
public. San  Martin  was  the  man  who  made  this 
possible.  He  was  one  of  the  greatest  heroes  in 
the  whole  world ! ' '  James 's  eyes  flashed.  *  *  He  de- 
served every  statue  and  monument  that  was  built  in 
his  honor  throughout  the  country.  Do  you  know," 
the  boy  went  on  excitedly,  *  *  San  Martin  dreamed  of 
[110] 


OFF  TO     LA  PLATA 

freeing  all  South  America!  He  did  succeed  in  mak- 
ing four  republics — three  besides  our  own." 

"He  hated  injustice  above  all  else,"  said  Mr. 
Wolfe,  smiling  at  his  son's  enthusiasm.  "But  now, 
my  little  friends,  while  talking  about  Argentina's 
great  patriot,  you  must  not  miss  the  passing  sights. 
I  doubt  if  you  ever  saw  so  many  cattle  together  as 
now,  from  this  car  window." 

'  *  This  plain  must  be  a  sample  of  the  pampas,  about 
which  I  have  read  so  much,"  said  Miss  Lee  thought- 
fully. '  *  Not  a  hill  in  sight — scarcely  a  tree — nothing 
but  grass  as  far  as  eye  can  see." 

"When  summer  comes  the  grass  will  be  so  tall 
that  you  children  could  play  hide  and  seek  in  it," 
said  Mrs.  Wolfe. 

i '  Oh,  see !  There 's  a  little  mud  hut  with  children 
running  about  in  front  of  it!"  cried  Theresa. 
"What  a  lonely  place  to  live  in!  I  suppose  that  is 
the  home  of  a  cattle  man,  and  those  boys  and  girls 
stay  there  all  the  year  round." 

"Lonely!  I  think  not,"  said  Mr.  Wolfe,  "With 
ponies  to  train  and  ride  bareback,  and  lambs  to  pet, 
and  hunting,  and  helping  their  parents,  I  doubt  if 
they  have  a  moment  in  which  to  wish  for  a  different 
kind  of  life." 

"La  Plata!"  called  the  conductor. 

The  children  started  in  astonishment.  They  had 
been  so  busy  looking  and  talking,  it  did  not  seem 
possible  that  they  had  been  traveling  an  hour. 

"Now  you  shall  see  one  of  the  newest  and  most 
beautiful  cities  of  Argentina, ' '  promised  Mr.  Wolfe, 
[HI] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

as  the  party  left  the  train  and  entered  a  broad  ave- 
nue. 

'  *  I  feel  as  if  I  had  entered  the  Kingdom  of  Sleep- 
ing Beauty, ' '  Lucy  told  her  brother,  as  they  fell  into 
the  rear.  "It's  so  still  here,  and  scarcely  a  person 
insight." 

"Yet  it's  the  capital  of  the  province,"  was  the 
boy's  answer,  "and  great  sums  of  money,  Mr.  Wolfe 
said,  have  been  spent  on  parks  and  palaces  and  grand 
public  buildings.  I  declare,  I  begin  to  feel  sleepy 
myself." 

James,  who  had  caught  Joe 's  words,  fell  back  be- 
side the  twins.  ' '  Many  people  who  have  government 
offices,"  he  told  them,  "live  in  Buenos  Aires,  and 
come  up  here  just  to  attend  to  business.  It's  a  good 
place  for  the  museum,  though,"  the  lad  chuckled. 

"Why?"  asked  Joe. 

"Because  it  holds  so  many  dead  things — awfully 
dead,  for  they  lived  thousands  of  years  ago.  They 
are  what  people  call  prehistoric.  Father  is  going  to 
take  us  to  see  them  now." 

When  the  party  arrived  at  the  magnificent  mu- 
seum, Mr.  Wolfe  explained  to  his  guests  why  it  was 
so  important.  '  *  In  the  long  ago, ' '  he  told  them,  * l  the 
ocean  waves  rolled  over  all  Argentina,  and  the  crea- 
tures of  the  sea  were  swimming  over  the  plains 
where  tens  of  thousands  of  cattle  are  now  feeding. 
But  when  the  waters  first  swept  over  the  land  they 
probably  drowned  herds  of  other  creatures  that  were 
giants  beside  those  we  now  know.  At  any  rate,  skele- 
[112] 


OFF  TO    LA  PLATA 

tons  of  immense  animals  have  been  found,  and  are 
now  preserved  in  La  Plata  Museum. ' ' 

The  young  visitors'  eyes  were  big  with  wonder 
when  they  looked  at  the  skeleton  of  a  giant  sloth. 

'  *  Not  much  like  the  one  I  saw  on  the  banks  of  the 
Amazon,"  said  Carlos.  "That  was  a  baby  beside 
this  one  which  could  never  have  been  able  to  climb 
down  a  tree  backward. ' '  The  boy  laughed. 

"It  had  no  need  to  climb  trees  to  get  its  dinner  of 
leaves,"  said  Mrs.  Wolfe.  "It  could  easily  tear  up 
a  tree  by  its  roots  and  then  feast  on  the  foliage  at 
its  leisure." 

"Oo!"  cried  Joe,  as  he  examined  the  shells  of  two 
immense  armadillos.  "One  of  those  armadillos 
could  have  furnished  meat  enough  for  more  than  one 
Thanksgiving  dinner." 

"I  have  discovered  some  very  interesting  curiosi- 
ties," said  Senhor  Vasco,  suddenly  appearing  after 
being  away  from  the  rest  of  the  party  for  some  min- 
utes. "Please  come  with  me." 

Every  one  gladly  followed  him  till  he  stopped  be- 
fore some  large  cases  containing  queer  tools  and 
weapons,  besides  oddly  shaped  dishes  and  clothing. 

"These  show  how  the  Indians  lived  before  the 
white  men  came  among  them,"  said  Mr.  Wolfe. 
"Here,  too,  are  pictures  that  make  you  see  just  how 
they  worked  and  amused  themselves." 

"The  Indians  look  fierce  and  cruel,"  said  Lucy. 
"I'm  glad  they  aren't  alive  now." 

"There  are  plenty  of  wild  Indians  in  Argentina 
[113] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

still,"  said  James  mischievously.  "And  not  so  very 
many  hundreds  of  miles  away  either. ' ' 

"Truly-ruly?" 

1 '  Truly-ruly,  cross  my  heart,  as  you  New  Yorkers 
would  say.  They  live  in  the  Chaco,  that  stretch  of 
wild  country  that  reaches  up  into  Paraguay,  as  well 
as  into  Brazil  and  Bolivia." 

"I've  heard  a  good  deal  about  the  Chaco  Indians," 
said  Carlos.  ' '  Some  of  them  go  about  almost  naked, 
and  their  homes  are  scarcely  more  than  sheds  with 
roughly  thatched  roofs.  Then  there  are  others  who 
have  no  homes  at  all,  but  roam  from  place  to  place, 
sleeping  at  night  under  the  trees.  I  don't  believe 
there  are  any  fiercer  savages  in  South  America. ' ' 

"There  is  good  hunting  in  the  Gran  Chaco,"  said 
Mr.  Wolfe.  "Plenty  of  peccaries  and  wild  dogs,  as 
well  as  jaguars  and  tapirs." 

"I  saw  a  peccary  once  at  the  circus,"  said  Joe. 
"It  looked  like  a  pig." 

"But  wild  dogs!"  exclaimed  Lucy.  "I  never 
heard  of  them  before." 

"You  would  hear  them  plainly  enough  if  you  were 
up  in  the  Chaco  and  near  a  swamp  some  still  night. 
Their  shrill  barking  would  make  your  head  ache. 
And  if  they  met  you  while  creeping  along  to  attack 
a  sheep  or  cow  to  get  a  good  meal,  they  would  make 
short  work  of  you. ' ' 

Lucy  shivered. 

"Don't  let  my  mischievous  son  scare  you,"  said 
Mrs.  Wolfe's  cheery  voice  behind  her.  "We  are  at 
a  safe  distance  from  the  Chaco;  but  if  you  were 
[114] 


OFF  TO     LA  PLATA 

really  there,  you  might  meet  only  the  peaceful  In- 
dians who  raise  crops  and  whose  wives  keep  house 
quite  neatly.  As  for  wild  dogs,  you  might  not  hear 
a  single  one  during  your  stay. ' ' 

"We  must  start  at  once  for  the  train,"  called  Mr. 
Wolfe  from  the  doorway.  "I  find  we  have  scant 
time  to  catch  it." 


[115] 


CHAPTER  IV 

OFF  FOE  THE  PAMPAS 

"DEPPO  told  me  that  his  father  works  on  a  wheat 
"  ranch,"  said  Joe. 

All  five  children  were  standing  at  a  window  of  the 
Wolfes'  sitting-room,  gloomily  watching  the  rain, 
which  was  falling  in  sheets. 

"We  pass  some  big  wheat  ranches  on  the  way  to 
our  estancia,"  replied  James.  "I  have  seen  regular 
mountains  of  bags  filled  with  wheat  at  the  stations, 
waiting  to  be  shipped.  Ever  so  many  Italians  leave 
their  homeland  to  raise  wheat  here.  They  hire  some 
land,  make  mud  and  straw  huts  to  live  in,  work  hard, 
and  save  almost  all  the  money  they  get  from  their 
harvests.  Then  back  they  go  with  their  earnings  to 
Italy — to  live  idly  for  the  rest  of  their  lives." 

"If!"  Mrs.  Wolfe,  who  had  entered  the  room 
unawares,  said  the  word  with  a  twinkle  in  her  eyes. 

"I  know  what  you  mean,  Mother."  James  spoke 
quickly.  ' '  The  farmers  can  be  pretty  sure  of  their 
crops  if  the  locusts  don't  get  them  first,  or  if  there 
is  no  drought." 

"I've  read  something  about  those  horrid  locusts 
that  fly  in  thousands,"  said  Joe. 

"Thousands?  Billions,  more  likely!"  exclaimed 
James. 

[117] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

* '  If  you  will  sit  down,  children,  perhaps  I  can  help 
you  while  away  this  dreary  morning  by  telling  you 
about  a  war  with  locusts  in  which  I  had  a  share  when 
a  little  girl." 

"Good!"  cried  one  after  another,  following  Mrs. 
Wolfe's  advice. 

"I  was  spending  the  summer,"  she  began,  "with 
an  uncle  who  had  a  big  wheat  farm.  One  morning 
I  was  feeling  a  bit  lonely  because  I  had  no  playmate. 
So,  to  amuse  myself,  I  mounted  to  the  top  of  a  wind- 
mill to  get  a  good  look  out  over  the  broad  fields  of 
wheat — a  beautiful  green  then,  but  if  left  to  ripen  it 
would  change  to  a  rich  gold. 

"Suddenly  I  saw  some  gulls  flying  about  excitedly 
overhead ;  they  moved  now  this  way,  now  that,  as  if 
danger  were  near,  but  they  did  not  know  how  to 
escape.  What  could  be  the  matter?  Aha !  I  quickly 
discovered  a  small  cloud  between  the  sun  and  my- 
self ;  it  was  made  up  of  shining  specks ;  it  moved  fast. 

"  'Locusts!'  I  said  to  myself,  and  hurried  down 
to  the  ground,  then  onward  to  the  house. 

"  'They've  come!  they've  come!'  I  shouted  to  my 
aunt,  who  was  in  the  garden.  I  wrung  my  hands  at 
the  thought  of  a  war  with  the  locusts. 

"During  the  next  few  days  the  cloud  I  had  seen 
kept  growing  larger  and  coming  nearer.  Then,  one 
morning,  I  woke  up  to  find  that  the  sky  was  nearly 
hidden  from  sight ;  the  buildings  on  the  farm  seemed 
wrapped  in  a  heavy  fog. 

"That  fog — can  you  imagine  it,  children? — con- 
sisted of  locusts,  millions  and  millions  of  them." 
[118] 


OFF  FOR  THE  PAMPAS 

"What  happened?"  asked  Joe  eagerly. 

'  *  Very  little,  at  first.  For  the  next  few  nights  the 
locusts  roosted  quietly  wherever  they  could  get  com- 
fortable places.  Then  each  morning  they  flew  to 
the  roads  stretching  through  the  estancia,  and  set 
to  work." 

"Work!"  cried  Lucy. 

"Yes,  my  dear — hard  work  at  that.  The  locusts 
used  the  two  sharp  jaws  at  the  ends  of  their  tails  in 
digging  holes  in  the  earth  big  enough  for  them  to 
creep  inside  to  lay  eggs." 

"Why  didn't  your  uncle  and  his  men  kill  them?" 
asked  Carlos. 

"They  did  kill  all  they  could  by  driving  flocks  of 
sheep  over  the  ground  to  trample  the  insects,  and 
they  beat  down  the  pests  with  iron  flails.  But  alas ! 
as  fast  as  the  roads  were  cleared  of  the  swarms  that 
had  already  settled  there,  other  swarms  arrived,  and 
then  others.  It  was  an  exciting  time,  yet  not  as  much 
so  as  when  the  baby  locusts  began  to  hatch  out — tiny 
brown  things  hopping,  hopping  everywhere,  and  so 
hungry  they  sometimes  ate  each  other." 

"Ugh!"  cried  the  little  girls,  shrugging  their 
shoulders  in  disgust. 

"But  the  hot  summer  air,  filled  with  such  a  hor- 
rid smell,"  Mrs.  Wolfe  went  on,  "was  the  hardest 
thing  of  all  to  bear.  I  hated  to  take  a  long  breath. 

"In  the  meantime  the  workmen  were  busy  burning 

all  the  baby  locusts  they  could,  or  in  driving  them 

into  pits.    Hawks  and  eagles  sometimes  helped  by 

swooping  down  and  devouring  great  numbers  of  the 

[119] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

insects.  Yet  still  they  were  countless.  At  first 
they  were  like  tiny  brown  caterpillars;  afterward 
they  changed  into  flying  things  with  gauzy  wings. 

"How  they  ate!  nearly  everything  green  was  de- 
voured— fields  full  of  alfalfa,  the  leaves  of  willows 
and  acacias,  the  ripening  crops  of  wheat,  all  except 
the  foliage  of  a  few  ombu  trees,  which  locusts  will 
not  touch. 

"At  last,  when  there  was  nothing  more  to  feed 
upon,  the  swarms  went  on  their  way.  '  No  harvests 
this  year,'  said  my  uncle  sadly,  as  he  looked  over 
the  deserted  fields.  But  I,  being  a  little  girl,  was 
happy  now  that  I  was  free  to  go  outdoors  once  more. 
Never  before  had  clear  air  and  sky  seemed  so  pleas- 
ant. " 

"Look!  the  rain  has  stopped,"  said  James,  run- 
ning to  the  window.  ' '  What  do  you  say,  Mother,  to 
our  going  to  the  Tigre  this  afternoon!" 

"Exactly  what  I  just  thought  of  proposing,"  re- 
plied Mrs.  Wolfe.  "The  river  is  beautiful  at  this 
time  of  the  year;  the  peach  and  pear  orchards  will 
be  in  bloom;  and  if  your  father  and  Senhor  Vasco 
go  with  us  we  can  hire  a  launch  and  have  a  fine  ride 
past  lovely  homes  and  vine-covered  banks." 


[120] 


CHAPTER  V 

THE   PASTING 

WHY  do  you  go  to  a  private  school,  James,  since 
you  say  the  public  ones  in  Buenos  Aires  are 
so  good?" 

"It's  this  way,  Joe.  I  am  out  on  our  estancia 
three  or  four  months  of  the  year,  and  I  can  get  along 
faster  at  a  private  school,  when  in  the  city.  But  say  I 
I  wonder  if  you  would  like  to  join  in  what  the  pupils 
in  our  public  schools  have  to  recite  every  day." 

"What  kind  of  things?" 

"Oh,  they  must  promise  to  love  this  country  above 
everything  else — even  their  parents." 

"I'd  never  give  my  father  and  mother  second 
place."  Joe  shook  his  head  gravely. 

"Then  they  must  declare  that  Argentina  is  the 
finest  country  in  the  world. ' ' 

1  *  Hm !  how  do  they  know  if  they  have  never  been 
anywhere  else?" 

James  smiled  and  went  on.  '  *  They  must  say  they 
are  proud  of  their  country's  having  the  grandest 
history  in  the  world;  and  whenever  General  San 
Martin's  name  is  spoken  they  bob  up  and  bow,  just 
as  every  one  does  when  the  National  Anthem  is 


sung. ' ' 


[121] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

*  *  The  bowing  is  all  right,  of  course.  Why,  even  in 
a  theater  at  home  every  American  stands  up  at  the 
first  note  of  The  Star-Spangled  Banner." 

"When  I'm  old  enough  I  am  going  to  the  Uni- 
versity here.  It's  one  of  the  best  in  the  world." 
James  was  really  very  proud  of  his  adopted  coun- 
try, though  he  sometimes  dreamed  of  going  to  Eng- 
land to  live,  when  he  should  grow  up. 

The  boys  had  not  noticed  the  entrance  into  the 
room  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wolfe  and  Senhor  Vasco,  who 
now  stood  smiling  at  them. 

"We  have  just  made  a  plan,"  said  Mr.  Wolfe,  as 
James  finished  the  sentence.  "Where  are  the  little 
girls  and  Carlos?  I  want  you  all  to  hear  it." 

At  Joe's  call,  the  other  children  came  hurrying 
in  from  the  tennis  court  and  five  pairs  of  expectant 
eyes  were  directed  toward  Mr.  Wolfe. 

"Senhor  Vasco,"  he  now  said,  "proposes  a  trip 
down  into  Patagonia  with  you,  Carlos  and  Joe,  as 
it  is  the  right  season  for  roughing  it;  James  is  to 
help  his  mother  and  me  in  making  it  pleasant  for 
Miss  Lee  and  the  little  girls  out  on  our  estancia  while 
you  are  away." 

The  children  looked  at  the  grown-ups  and  then  at 
each  other  in  astonishment  and  delight. 

"Patagonia!"  said  Carlos  at  last,  drawing  a  long 
breath.  "What  sport!" 

"But  the  savages  there!  Cannibals,  aren't  they?" 
asked  Lucy,  with  fearful  eyes. 

"Away  down  at  the  southern  end  with  Cape  Horn 
and  its  terrible  storms  not  far  away,  there  are  some 
[122] 


THE  PARTING 

fierce  Indians,  but  not  where  we  are  going,"  said 
Senhor  Vasco  with  a  smile.  "We  shall  rough  it, 
however,  and  have  the  experience  of  lying  in  sleep- 
ing-bags all  night  under  the  stars.'* 

"Oh!"  cried  James,  looking  enviously  at  his  boy 
guests. 

"We  will  take  the  trip  some  other  time,"  com- 
forted his  father.  "Just  now  your  dear  mother 
would  worry  if  you  were  away  from  us."  The  kind 
gentleman's  eyes  were  misty  as  he  thought  of  the 
little  daughter  who  had  been  taken  away. 

"We'll  have  a  dandy  time  anyway,  Lucy  and  The- 
resa," James  said  bravely.  "I'll  teach  you  to  ride 
bareback  and  tame  ponies." 

"And  Joe  and  Carlos  will  come  back  with  much  to 
tell  us, ' '  said  Theresa,  who  had  not  forgotten  happy 
hours  spent  in  listening  to  their  stories  of  the 
Amazon. 

Three  days  afterward,  Senhor  Vasco,  with  Joe  and 
Carlos,  had  taken  a  little  steamer  bound  for  a  port 
on  the  eastern  coast  of  Patagonia,  and  the  Wolfe 
family,  with  Miss  Lee  and  her  girl  charges,  were  on 
their  way  to  their  estancia  on  the  pampas. 

"Baa,  baa,  black  sheep,"  Theresa  hummed  to  her- 
self as  she  looked  out  of  the  car  windows.  As  far  as 
she  could  see,  the  wild  plain  was  covered  with  sheep 
feeding  on  the  tall  grass. 

"Have  you  any  wool?"  came  a  laughing  voice  in 
the  seat  behind  her. 

"Yes,  sir;  yes,  sir;  a  million  bags  full,"  she  an- 
swered James  as  quick  as  a  flash.  There  was  no 
[123] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

! 

dodbt  about  it.  Theresa  was  waking  up  under  the 
influence  of  her  lively  little  friends. 

"Once  in  a  great  while  we  see  a  mud  hut  with  a 
windmill  close  by.  I  suppose  the  hut  is  the  home  of 
a  shepherd,  and  the  windmill  works  the  pump  where 
the  family  gets  water." 

"Yes,  and  windmills  are  necessary  in  this  part  of 
the  pampas  because  the  streams  are  not  plentiful," 
said  Mrs.  Wolfe. 

"What  a  beautiful  sight!"  cried  Miss  Lee,  draw- 
ing a  long  breath  of  delight.  The  train  had  passed 
the  flocks  of  sheep,  and  now  seemed  to  be  moving 
through  an  ocean  of  grassy  waves. 

"Most  of  the  pampas  are  like  this,"  explained  Mr. 
Wolfe.  "However,  there  are  stretches  here  and 
there  where  the  ground  is  covered  with  shrubs  and 
dwarf  trees. 

"Not  many  years  ago,"  he  went  on,  "no  human 
beings  except  Indians  and  Gauchos  roamed  over 
these  plains." 

"What  are  Gauchos?  Are  they  wild  animals'?" 
asked  Lucy. 

James  put  his  hand  to  his  mouth ;  he  was  trying  to 
keep  back  a  laugh. 

Mr.  Wolfe  himself  smiled  as  he  answered :  '  *  Span- 
iards who  came  over  here  in  the  early  days  and  fol- 
lowed the  wild  life  of  the  Indians  have  always  been 
called  Gauchos.  Many  of  them  took  Indian  wives; 
their  children  and  grandchildren  are  also  called  Gau- 
chos. Their  delight  has  always  been  in  chasing  on 
horseback  the  wild  creatures  that  roamed  as  freely 
[124] 


THE  PARTING 

as  themselves.  They  planted  few  gardens,  and  lived 
almost  entirely  on  flesh.  I  fancy  that  they  enjoyed 
a  steak  of  horse-meat  as  much  as  you  like  a  slice 
of  beef." 

"0  Father,"  broke  in  James,  "please  tell  our 
friends  about  the  time  when  you  were  a  boy  and  got 
caught  out  on  the  pampas  far  from  home." 

"That  was  a  great  experience,"  said  Mr.  Wolfe 
thoughtfully.  * '  I  had  gone  out  hunting  with  an  elder 
brother.  We  had  ridden  on  and  on,  and  were  prob- 
ably forty  miles  from  home  when  a  storm  suddenly 
arose.  The  night  was  coming  on;  we  had  lost  our 
reckoning;  our  clothes  were  drenched;  our  horses 
were  worn  out ;  every  minute  the  darkness  deepened. 

1 '  And  then,  to  make  matters  still  worse,  my  horse 
stumbled  and  fell.  The  poor  beast  had  stepped  into 
the  burrow  of  a  viscacha  and  broken  his  leg." 

"A  vis — ca — cha?"  asked  Lucy. 

"Yes,  the  bothersome  creatures  are  the  dread  even 
of  Gauchos,  fine  horsemen  as  they  are.  Viscachas 
are  no  bigger  than  squirrels.  They  live  in  the  holes 
which  they  dig  in  the  ground,  and  which  are  hidden 
by  the  long  grass.  Such  burrows  are  countless." 

"What  did  you  do?"  asked  Miss  Lee  pityingly. 

"It  seemed  as  if  we  were  already  human  rain- 
drops"— Mr.  Wolfe  laughed — "when  my  brother 
suddenly  cried  out,  'I  see  a  light !'  He  pointed  west- 
ward. '  That  shines  from  the  home  of  a  Gaucho, '  he 
declared  hopefully. 

"  'He  may  be  no  better  than  a  savage  Indian/  I 
[125] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

replied,  for  I  had  heard  many  stories  of  the  fierce- 
ness and  cruelty  of  Gauchos. 

«  'We'll  soon  find  out,'  was  the  answer;  and  my 
brother  started  off  in  the  direction  of  the  light,  while 
I  followed,  leading  my  limping  horse. 

"We  were  still  a  good  half-mile  away  from  the  hut, 
when  a  sound  rang  through  the  air  that  made  me 
shudder.  It  was  the  cry  of  a  wild-cat  which  must 
have  crept  down  from  its  forest  home  on  the  western 
mountain  slopes  in  search  of  prey  on  the  pampas. 

"I  was  a  daring  young  fellow  in  those  days,  but 
that  wild  cry  in  the  darkness  did  not  sound  invit- 
ing." 

'  *  How  easily  the  creature  could  have  sprung  upon 
you  from  out  of  the  tall  grass ! ' '  Theresa  cried  ex- 
citedly. 

"You  may  well  believe  we  did  not  loiter,"  contin- 
ued Mr.  Wolfe.  "After  what  seemed  an  endless 
time,  we  reached  the  hut  in  safety,  to  find  a  rough, 
wild  host,  but  a  kind-hearted  one.  His  wife  broiled 
some  horse-flesh,  from  which  her  husband  hacked  off 
chunks  with  a  big  knife.  He  handed  these  to  us  to 
eat.  As  we  sat  hungrily  devouring  the  meat,  we 
heard  a  soft  crow  over  our  heads.  What  do  you 
think !  It  came  from  a  tiny  black-eyed  baby  swinging 
from  the  low  roof  in  a  horse-hide  cradle." 

"The  darling!"  cried  Theresa. 

"After  supper,"  Mr.  Wolfe  continued,  "the  Gau- 

cho  took  down  from  the  wall  a  roughly-made  guitar, 

and  sitting  cross-legged  on  a  pile  of  skins,  played 

some  of  the  wildest  music  I  ever  heard.    After  that 

[126] 


THE  PARTING 

we  all  stretched  out  on  some  mats  on  the  floor  to 
sleep.  I  did  not  wake  till  near  daybreak,  and 
then "  Mr.  Wolfe  stopped  suddenly. 

"And  then — please  go  fast,  Father,"  said  James, 
who  knew  what  was  coming. 

* '  And  then, ' '  Mr.  Wolfe  repeated,  * '  it  was  because 
of  something  curling  about  my  arm.  I  jumped  up, 
to  feel  the  clasp  becoming  tighter.  My  brother,  now 
awake,  quickly  struck  a  match.  Lo,  my  arm  was  in 
the  grip  of  a  huge  snake,  with  wicked,  glittering 
eyes.  The  next  moment  our  host  was  at  my  side, 
and  with  his  strong  hand  choking  the  throat  of  the 
unwelcome  visitor." 

"Oh-h!"  gasped  Lucy  and  Theresa  together,  clos- 
ing their  eyes  as  if  to  shut  out  the  sight  of  the  dread- 
ful serpent. 

"When  the  serpent  had  been  disposed  of,"  Mr. 
Wolfe  went  on,  "the  Gaucho  went  with  me  to  look 
after  my  poor  horse.  She  was  suffering  so  much 
we  saw  there  was  only  one  thing  to  do — kill  her. ' ' 

"You  and  your  brother  had  only  one  horse  be- 
tween you  now  and  you  were  far  from  home,"  said 
Miss  Lee  seriously. 

'  *  Yes,  but  we  bought  another  horse  from  the  Gau- 
cho for  a  few  dollars.  We  soon  started  out,  with  our 
host  and  his  wife  and  baby  watching  us  from  the 
doorway.  I  tell  you  what !  He  was  a  handsome  fel- 
low, with  sharp  black  eyes,  long  black  hair  hanging 
about  his  dark  face  from  beneath  a  broad-brimmed 
hat ;  high  boots  with  silver  spurs  at  the  sides,  full  red 
[127] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

trousers,  and  a  bright-colored  cloak  over  his  shoul- 
ders— he  made  a  picture  for  an  artist." 

"Whew!"  exclaimed  James.  "I  wish  I  could 
have  seen  him." 

' '  Such  a  one  is  not  met  often  nowadays.  The  cat- 
tle men  on  my  estancia  are  mostly  Gauchos,  but  they 
dress  much  like  other  workmen  and  are  no  fiercer 
than  our  host  of  that  stormy  night,  years  ago." 

"The  next  station  is  ours,"  said  James  joyfully. 

The  train  had  just  stopped  at  a  camp  town  made 
up  of  a  few  small  sheet-iron  buildings.  There  were 
neither  trees  nor  gardens  in  sight.  Outside  it,  in 
every  direction,  stretched  the  wide  pampas. 

'  *  Not  much  excitement  for  the  boys  and  girls  who 
live  here, ' '  said  Lucy  pityingly. 

"Only  horse-racing,  and  the  pleasure  of  watch- 
ing the  people  who  ride  in  for  supplies  from  distant 
estancias, ' '  replied  James.  ' '  Everybody  in  this  part 
of  the  country  enjoys  the  races." 

By  this  time  the  camp-town  was  already  far  behind 
and  the  travelers  were  busy  putting  on  wraps  and 
getting  packages  together  to  leave  the  train. 

' '  Home  again  after  six  months ! ' '  cried  Mrs.  Wolfe 
joyfully,  as  the  station  came  into  view.  "I  do  love 
the  country  life." 

1 '  And  I. "    "  And  I, ' '  chimed  in  the  others. 

Sambo,  a  fine-looking  negro,  was  waiting  with 
a  large  covered  wagon  drawn  by  four  horses.  The 
fellow's  face  shone  with  delight  at  sight  of  his  mas- 
ter and  mistress ;  while  in  greeting  James,  his  smiles 
reached  from  ear  to  ear.  "Everybody  on  the  place 
[128] 


THE  PARTING 

has  been  up  'fore  daylight  to  get  ready  for  yo '  corn- 
in  V '  he  told  the  boy  as  they  drove  along. 

On  galloped  the  horses  over  mile  after  mile  of 
dusty  roads.  The  travelers  passed  big  fields  of  wheat 
and  flax  and  alfalfa,  and  still  larger  ones  in  which 
herds  of  cattle  were  feeding  lazily. 

"This  is  all  our  land,"  James  proudly  told  his 
young  friends. 

"Everything  we  have  passed  on  both  sides  of  the 
road?"  asked  Theresa. 

"Everything,  even  the  road  itself,"  was  the  an- 
swer. "You  see,  Father  is  what  they  call  a  cattle- 
king,  while  I" — the  boy  laughed — "am  treated  out 
here  like  a  young  prince." 


[129] 


CHAPTER  VI 

NEW   SPOKTS 

IV/TISS  LEE!  Miss  Lee!"  came  a  chorus  of  chil- 
^  -*•  dren's  voices.  The  next  moment  the  govern- 
ess, who  had  been  looking  out  of  a  window  of  the  big 
beautiful  living-room,  found  her  young  charges  at 
her  side. 

' '  Do  come  out  with  us, ' '  begged  Theresa.  ' '  James 
sent  us  in  to  get  you.  He  wants  to  show  you  around." 

1  'It's  a  great  place — a  regular  village,"  put  in 
Lucy.  *  *  Stores,  houses,  gardens,  a  blacksmith  shop 
— and  children,  lots  of  them."  The  little  girl's  face 
was  ablaze  with  happiness. 

" We've  got  acquainted  with  the  manager's  little 
daughter  already,"  said  Theresa.  "She's  Spanish, 
and  just  my  age,  and  she's  ever  so  nice." 

"We  can't  take  you  now,  after  all,"  said  James, 
appearing  in  the  doorway,  "because  dinner  is  ready. 
I  think  you  won't  be  sorry,  though,  if  you  are  hun- 
gry as  I  am." 

They  certainly  were  not  sorry  when  they  began  to 
eat  the  food  Mrs.  Wolfe's  cook  had  prepared.  The 
soup  was  delicious ;  so  were  the  roasted  chicken  with 
fresh  vegetables,  and  a  Spanish  dish  made  of  spiced 
beef  that  had  been  rolled  up  in  the  animal's  skin 
[131] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

while  being  broiled.  Best  of  all  the  good  things,  to 
the  children 's  taste,  was  a  rich  and  very  sweet  pasty. 

After  dinner  James  invited  the  little  girls  to  go 
out  pony-riding  with  him. 

"What  sport  it  is!"  cried  Lucy,  as  the  children 
left  the  road  and  galloped  over  the  grassy  fields. 

"Great  fun!"  called  Theresa,  a  little  way  behind. 

They  had  ridden  for  some  time  when  James  sud- 
denly drew  up  his  pony. 

"I  don't  believe  you  ever  saw  a  toad  like  that," 
he  cried,  pointing  to  one  hopping  on  the  ground  be- 
side him. 

"How  gaily  colored  its  back  is!"  said  Lucy,  com- 
ing up,  '  *  and  how  funny  it  is ! '  She  laughed  as  she 
looked  down  at  the  tiny  creature  blowing  out  its 
sides  like  a  balloon,  and  looking  angrily  at  the  sur- 
prise party  of  children. 

"It  has  a  wicked  temper,"  said  James,  laughing 
in  his  turn  at  the  angry  toad.  "If  either  of  you 
should  jump  down  and  put  your  fingers  close  to  its 
mouth,  woe  be  unto  you,  because  of  the  sharp  teeth 
ready  to  bite." 

"Ugh!"  said  Theresa. 

Lucy's  eyes  were  already  attracted  to  something 
else — a  bird  whose  breast  feathers  were  of  a  brilliant 
red.  It  reminded  her  of  the  robin  redbreast  of  her 
homeland,  but  it  was  even  more  beautiful. 

"Say,  girls !  don't  let  your  ponies  enter  that  patch 

of  thistles,"  James  called  out  a  little  later.    As  he 

spoke,  he  came  to  a  stop  beside  the  outermost  ones. 

He  had  just  discovered  a  pile  of  wet  earth  with  a 

[132] 


NEW  SPORTS 

hole  in  the  top.  Jumping  down,  he  ran  up  to  the 
mound  and  began  kicking  the  earth  about. 

Lo!  the  next  minute  something  greenish  and  liz- 
ard-like came  creeping  out  and  scuttled  off  among 
the  thistles.  It  was  an  iguana,  about  four  feet  long. 

James  kept  on  digging  and  presently  laid  bare  a 
nest  of  dry  grass  filled  with  tiny  white  eggs,  at  least 
thirty  of  them.  And,  wonder  of  wonders !  three  baby 
iguanas,  with  long  tails  and  slender  feet,  were  crawl- 
ing about  among  the  eggs. 

''The  poor  mother  is  probably  watching  to  see 
what  I  will  do,"  said  James.  "I  won't  harm  her 
children,  though  they  may  grow  up  to  destroy  birds' 
eggs  by  making  holes  in  them  and  sucking  out  the 
insides.  Iguanas  even  sometimes  venture  into  our 
farmyard  after  hens'  eggs.  I  once  had  a  tame 
iguana  for  a  pet,  and  used  to  catch  flies  and  beetles 
for  it  to  feast  on." 

"That's  just  what  Carlos  does  for  his  iguana  in 
Eio, ' '  said  Theresa,  as  the  children  turned  their  po- 
nies homeward. 

They  had  almost  reached  the  house  when  Theresa 
suddenly  reined  in  her  pony,  exclaiming,  "What's 
that?" 

James,  who  was  ahead  as  usual,  wheeled  round 
and  looked  down  where  Theresa  pointed. 

' '  Why,  that  must  be  a  mataco, ' '  he  said.  ' '  It 's  a 
kind  of  armadillo.  See,  it  has  rolled  itself  into  a 
ball  for  safety.  Matacos  always  do  that  when  they 
think  danger  is  near.  With  its  head  hidden  and  its 
jointed  shell  curled  around,  it  now  feels  quite  safe." 
[133] 


CHAPTER  VII 

BRANDING   THE    CALVES 

"V7"  OU  are  a  good  sport,  Lucy,  but  I'm  afraid  The- 
*      resa  might  cry  at  seeing  the  red-hot  iron  brand 
a  calf's  hide.    Really,  though,  it  only  hurts  for  a 
moment. ' ' 

"I  guess  she'll  be  all  right.  She  would  feel  bad 
if  we  didn't  ask  her  anyway." 

With  these  words  Lucy  ran  upstairs  and  tapped 
softly  at  her  little  friend's  door.  Theresa  was  al- 
ready dressed,  though  it  was  early  morning. 

"Of  course  I  want  to  go  if  you  do,"  she  said  with 
eyes  full  of  excitement,  as  the  two  girls  skipped 
down  the  stairs  to  join  James. 

The  evening  before  they  had  heard  the  head  cat- 
tle-man, or  capitaz,  as  every  one  called  him,  tell  Mr. 
Wolfe  that  a  herd  of  "left-overs"  were  to  be  brand- 
ed the  next  day.  All  the  other  calves  had  been 
marked  in  the  winter.  The  children,  of  course,  had 
immediately  made  up  their  minds  that  they  must  see 
the  exciting  work. 

As  they  now  stole  out  of  the  house  where  the 
grown-ups  were  still  sleeping,  they  met  the  capitaz 
and  his  helpers  on  the  way  to  the  field  where  the 
calves  to  be  branded  had  been  gathered. 
[135] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

The  capitaz  was  a  handsome  fellow,  with  black 
hair  and  eyes  and  a  dark  reddish  skin  that  showed 
he  was  partly  Indian.  He  wore  wide,  baggy  trou- 
sers, a  shawl  tucked  in  at  the  waist,  and  a  red  cot- 
ton handkerchief  tied  about  his  neck.  Wound  around 
one  hand  he  carried  a  lasso  made  of  plaited  leather. 

After  the  workmen  had  entered  the  field  James 
led  the  little  girls  to  a  slope  behind  it,  where  they 
would  be  quite  safe,  yet  could  see  everything  going 
on  below  them. 

And  now  the  capitaz  mounted  a  horse  which  one  of 
his  assistants  had  brought  for  his  use. 

"There  he  goes !"  cried  Lucy. 

The  head  man,  with  reins  and  whip  in  one  hand 
and  lasso  in  the  other,  was  in  pursuit  of  a  calf.  The 
next  moment,  the  noose  at  the  end  of  the  lasso  had 
fallen  about  the  creature 's  horns,  to  be  drawn  tighter 
and  tighter.  The  calf  kicked  and  pulled,  but  the 
capitaz  kept  his  hold. 

1 1 0  dear,  dear ! ' '  cried  Theresa ;  but  she  grew  quiet 
when  James  reminded  her  of  a  promise  not  to  get 
excited. 

By  this  time  one  of  the  helpers  had  run  up  to  the 
capitaz,  having  already  cast  his  own  lasso  so  cleverly 
that  it  caught  the  calf's  hind  feet  in  its  hold,  and 
it  was  thrown  to  the  ground.  Quick  as  a  flash,  an- 
other helper  ran  up  with  a  heated  iron  with  which 
he  branded  the  hide  of  the  helpless  animal.  The 
lasso  was  now  instantly  loosened  and  the  trembling, 
frightened  calf  was  set  free. 
[136] 


Photo  from  Underwood  &  Underwood,  N.  Y. 

AN  ARGENTINE  COWBOY  PREPARING  LEATHER  FOR  A  LASSO 


BRANDING  THE  CALVES 

"Oh-h!"  gasped  Lucy,  much  relieved.  "Is  that 
all?" 

"Isn't  that  enough!"  James  burst  out  laughing. 
"For  the  rest  of  its  days,  every  one  who  sees  that 
calf  will  know  who  is  the  owner. ' ' 

The  children  remained  on  the  slope  for  some  time 
longer,  as  one  calf  after  another  was  caught  and 
branded. 

Only  once  did  the  capitaz  make  a  mistake  in  cast- 
•ing  his  lasso.  Then  he  let  it  fall  about  the  calf's 
throat  and  it  was  almost  strangled  as  the  noose 
tightened  from  the  creature's  sudden  plunge.  Help 
came  in  time,  however,  though  not  before  Theresa 
was  crying  bitterly. 

' '  Branding  cattle  and  breaking  in  horses  are  tame 
beside  what  I  have  seen,"  James  told  his  little  guests 
on  their  way  home.  They  looked  up  in  wonder. 

"I'm  thinking  of  the  work  of  dehorning,"  he  ex- 
plained. "I  don't  like  to  watch  that  because  I  know 
it  hurts  the  creatures  badly. ' ' 

Mrs.  Wolfe  and  Miss  Lee  were  in  the  doorway 
watching  for  the  children. 

"We  have  had  breakfast  already,"  said  Mrs. 
Wolfe. 

"And  we  are  dreadfully  hungry,"  said  James. 
"But  we  have  been  so  busy  we  haven't  thought 
about  breakfast  before." 

When  the  meal  was  over,  the  children  went  for  a 

game  of  tennis,  which  Theresa  could  now  play  quite 

well.    Then,  tired  from  the  exercise,  they  went  in 

to  rest  and  read  in  the  library.    A  map  of  Argentina 

[137] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

hanging  on  the  wall  caught  Lucy's  eyes,  and  she  be- 
gan to  study  it. 

"What  a  big  country  it  isl"  she  said,  half  to  her- 
self. 

James,  though  his  head  was  buried  in  a  book, 
heard  her. 

"Hm!  I  should  say  so,"  he  said  with  pride. 
'  *  Notice  what  a  long  stretch  it  has  from  away  down' 
there  near  the  Strait  of  Magellan  where  the  ice  lasts 
all  the  year,  to  the  warm  sugar  lands  in  the  north, 
and  the  Chaco  that  reaches  away  up  into  the  coun- 
try of  Paraguay.  And  then  all  through  the  middle 
lie  the  pampas." 

"Your  father  told  me  that  Argentina  raises  more 
flax  than  any  other  country  in  the  world,  while  it 
stands  second  in  wheat-raising, ' '  said  Theresa. 

"I  know  it."  Again  James  spoke  proudly.  "But 
say,  girls,  when  I  spoke  of  the  Chaco  a  minute  ago, 
it  made  me  think  of  our  talk  at  La  Plata  Museum. 
Do  you  remember  it!" 

"Indeed  I  do,"  Lucy  answered  promptly. 

"And  I  too,"  spoke  up  Theresa,  who  had  just  fin- 
ished a  fairy  story  and  was  now  ready  to  talk. 

"Sometime  I  am  going  to  Paraguay  with  Father," 
James  went  on.  "It's  a  fine  trip  up  the  Parana  and 
Paraguay  rivers.  One  can  see  ever  so  many  strange 
sights  there,  from  the  alligators  along  the  banks  of 
the  streams  to  the  ghost-women  at  the  market-places 
of  the  towns. ' ' 

"The  ghost-women f"  cried  Lucy  and  Theresa  to- 
gether.   James's  eyes  twinkled  mischievously. 
[138] 


BRANDING  THE  CALVES 

Just  then  came  a  call.  "Time  for  another  meal, 
little  folks,"  and  James  led  the  way  to  the  dining- 
room. 

As  the  children  sat  eating,  Lucy  kept  making  signs 
across  the  table  to  James.  She  was  mutely  asking 
him  to  explain  what  he  had  said  in  the  library.  His 
only  answer  was  a  knowing  smile. 

When  dessert  was  served,  every  one  chose  oranges. 

"I  never  tasted  more  delicious  ones  than  these," 
declared  Miss  Lee,  as  she  opened  the  large  one  on 
her  plate.  '  *  They  are  so  sweet  and  juicy. ' ' 

"We  get  them  from  Paraguay,"  said  Mr.  Wolfe; 
"and  I  believe  no  country  in  the  world  raises  better 
ones." 

"When  I  think  of  Paraguay,"  said  Mrs.  Wolfe,  "I 
see  not  only  vast  orange  orchards,  but  forests  in 
whose  shade  mate  shrubs  are  growing  abundantly. ' ' 

"What  a  refreshing  drink  mate  is!"  said  Miss 
Lee.  "I  know  that  Paraguay  is  its  home,  but  it  is 
also  raised,  as  you  doubtless  know,  in  southern  Bra- 
zil." 

"We  Argentines  could  scarcely  get  along  without 
it,"  said  Mr.  Wolfe.  "We  use  seven  times  as  much 
mate  as  coffee.  As  for  the  working  people,  it  fre- 
quently takes  the  place  of  breakfast.  Few  of  the  la- 
borers on  this  estancia  eat  any  food  before  ten  or 
eleven  o  'clock  in  the  morning.  A  gourd  full  of  mate 
drunk  on  rising  makes  a  man  feel  strong  and  ready 
for  any  task." 

"I  will  never  forget  the  first  mate  I  drank,"  said 
Lucy.  ' '  It  seemed  so  queer  to  draw  it  into  my  mouth 
[139] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

through  a  long  tube.  It  was  hotter  than  I  expected 
and  burned  my  mouth,  and  it  was  so  bitter  I  didn't 
wish  to  taste  any  more  for  weeks.  But  now  I  like 
it.  So  do  Mother  and  Father  and  Joe. " 

"When  I  visited  Paraguay,"  said  Mr.  Wolfe,  "I 
met  many  a  long  mule-train  carrying  mate  to  the 
coast  for  shipment,  and  once  I  came  upon  a  place 
back  in  the  country  where  the  mate  shrubs  were 
growing  in  the  shade  of  tall  trees.  There,  in  the 
wilderness,  Indians  were  busily  chopping  off  the 
branches  and  carrying  them  to  drying  houses.  The 
roofs  of  the  houses  consisted  of  poles  twisted  to- 
gether ;  the  floor  beneath  was  of  smooth,  hard  clay. 

"As  fast  as  the  bundles  were  brought  in,  they 
were  handed  to  other  workmen  who  wove  them 
among  the  poles  of  the  roof;  then  a  low  fire  was 
started  on  the  clay  floor  and  kept  burning  till  the 
leaves  overhead  were  thoroughly  dry.  After  that 
they  were  brushed  down  and  pounded  into  powder, 
packed  in  bales  and  loaded  on  mules  ready  to  carry 
them  away  to  a  port. ' ' 

"  I  wish  we  could  visit  such  a  forest  in  Paraguay," 
said  Theresa.  "But  Father  says  we  can't  go  there 
now,  we  have  so  much  else  to  see." 

' '  It 's  a  brave  little  republic, ' '  said  Miss  Lee.  ' '  It 
has  had  many  troubles,  and  I  am  glad  it  is  now  at 
peace." 

"My  boy  here" — Mr.  Wolfe  glanced  at  James — 
"is  eager  to  visit  the  unsettled  part  of  the  country 
in  the  Gran  Chaco,  where  so  many  wild  animals  are 
to  be  found." 

[140] 


BRANDING  THE  CALVES 

11  And  Indians,  Father!"  added  James  quickly. 

''There  are  plenty  of  Indians  all  over  Paraguay, 
my  son.  More  than  one-fourth  of  the  people  are  of 
the  red  race." 

"And  a  large  number  of  the  others  are  part  Indian 
and  part  Spanish,"  spoke  up  Mrs.  Wolfe. 

' '  The  people  in  the  settled  parts  are  kind  and  hos- 
pitable, ' '  continued  her  husband.  '  *  If  we  were  their 
guests,  they  would  gladly  share  their  home  with  us ; 
though,  if  they  lived  in  one  of  the  little  villages  in 
the  country,  it  would  probably  be  a  small  mud  hut 
with  one  or  two  pieces  of  furniture.  See  here,  let's 
play  we  haven't  just  finished  dinner,  but  are  enter- 
ing a  Paraguay  village  with  empty  stomachs.  "We 
follow  a  man  going  home  from  his  work  in  a  field  of 
sugar-cane.  Half-naked  children  with  streaming 
black  hair  run  out  to  meet  him  and  stare  at  the 
strangers.  He  asks  us  into  his  hut  to  dine.  His  wife 
looks  up  from  her  work  to  smile  at  us.  She  is  pound- 
ing corn  in  a  hollow  of  a  log  standing  in  the  middle  of 
the  room.  The  corn  is  to  be  used  for  a  cake  which 
she  will  soon  serve  us;  this,  with  boiled  beef  and 
mate,  is  to  be  our  dinner.  After  it  is  finished,  our 
host  and  his  wife  fill  pipes  with  tobacco  and  begin 
to  smoke.  We  do  not  care  to  join  them,  and  go  on 
our  way  to  another  village,  passing  tobacco  and 
manioc  fields,  or  perhaps  groves  of  oranges." 

"Aren't  there  any  cities  in  Paraguay?"  asked 
Lucy. 

"Not  many.  Asuncion  is  the  largest.  It  is  one 
of  the  oldest  in  South  America.  The  Spaniards  set- 
[141] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

tied  there  long  before  the  Pilgrims  went  to  your  own 
Plymouth.  I  found  it  a  busy  place,  with  colleges, 
banks  and  parks.  How  the  people  there  do  like 
bright  colors!  Their  low-built  houses,  standing  in 
blocks  along  the  sidewalks,  are  painted  red,  blue, 
yellow,  green — all  the  tints  of  the  rainbow." 

"And  ghost-women  walking  past  them,"  James 
said  in  a  low  voice  to  the  little  girls  with  puzzled 
faces  opposite  him. 

Mrs.  Wolfe  caught  the  words.  "What  are  you 
talking  about,  sonnie!"  she  asked;  but  his  father 
broke  into  a  laugh. 

"Yes,  ghost-women,  if  you  choose  to  call  them  so," 
he  said.  "The  women  go  about  the  streets  in  loose 
white  garments,  with  large  white  cloths  wrapped 
about  their  heads.  Many  of  them  are  barefooted,  so 
they  move  noiselessly,  as  ghosts  are  supposed  to  do. 
Let  us  follow  two  of  them  on  their  way  to  the  mar- 
ket. One  carries  a  heavy  jar  on  her  head ;  the  other 
balances  a  big  load  of  oranges  in  the  same  way ;  both 
step  as  lightly  as  though  they  had  no  burden.  This 
way  of  carrying  loads  is  common  all  over  the  coun- 
try. 

"Ah!  we  are  nearing  the  market.  It  is  a  big  one- 
story  building,  extending  around  the  four  sides  of  a 
square.  There  are  women,  women  everywhere,  buy- 
ing and  selling  the  wares  of  the  country.  I  know 
what  Lucy  would  like  to  get  for  her  mother — it  is 
some  of  the  delicate  lace  on  that  counter.  It  has 
been  made  by  the  rough  hands  of  the  Paraguay 
women." 

[142] 


BRANDING  THE  CALVES 

"I'd  like  some  for  Grandma,"  said  Theresa. 

* '  Of  course,  my  dear.  So  we  had  better  get  a  good 
many  yards. ' ' 

Everybody  smiled. 

"But  see  here,"  Mr.  Wolfe  went  on.  "You  must 
all  notice  the  quantities  of  tobacco  and  manioc  for 
sale,  since  these  are  raised  in  large  quantities  in  the 
country,  and  the  people  use  the  greater  part  them- 
selves. Dear,  dear!  nearly  all  the  folks  about  us, 
both  men  and  women,  smoke  pipes  or  cigars,  or  else 
chew  tobacco;  even  young  girls  are  smoking. 

"Let  us  turn  from  them  toward  a  meat  stall,  and 
watch  the  butcher  hack  off  big  chunks  of  beef  which 
he  sells  at  so  much  a  chunk.  This  beef  came  from 
nearby  cattle-farms — fine  ones,  too." 

"I  declare!"  suddenly  exclaimed  Mrs.  Wolfe, 
"while  we  have  been  talking,  the  daylight  has  begun 
to  fade.  Let  us  go  out  on  the  veranda  and  watch 
for  the  new  moon." 


[143] 


CHAPTER  VHI 

DANGER  AHEAD  * 

T  UCY,"  James  whispered  outside  the  little  girl's 
•"  door,  "  Mother  says  you  are  to  ride  Snow 
White  this  morning  when  we  go  to  the  shearing.  It 
was  my  sister's,  you  know,  and  is  very  gentle." 

Off  ran  James  before  Lucy  had  a  chance  to  speak. 
Her  eyes  were  dim  for  a  moment  at  thought  of  the 
little  girl  who  could  never  ride  the  beautiful  white 
pony  again.  Yet  she  could  not  help  being  happy  at 
her  own  privilege,  and  when  she  kissed  Miss  Lee 
good-by  she  said,  "I  feel  like  a  princess  in  a  fairy 
story — princesses  always  ride  on  white  ponies,  you 
know." 

Then  she  ran  to  find  the  other  children,  the  man- 
ager's son,  Pedro,  having  been  invited  to  join  the 
party. 

"The  sheep  farm  is  ten  miles  away,"  James  told 
the  little  girls  as  they  started  off. 

"Ten  miles — and  yet  it  is  a  part  of  your  father's 
estancia!"  cried  Theresa. 

"We  could  travel  a  whole  day  in  the  direction  we 
are  going  now,"  he  answered,  "and  we  would  still 
be  on  our  own  land. ' ' 

« '  James !  Pedro !"  called  Lucy  from  behind.  ' '  A 
[145] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

hare  just  crossed  my  path.    It  went  like  the  wind ! ' ' 

" There  are  hundreds  of  hares  on  the  place,"  said 
James,  smiling  at  the  little  girl's  excitement.  "Pe- 
dro and  I  have  hunted  them  more  than  once,  haven't 
we,  Pedro?" 

The  Spanish  boy  nodded  pleasantly.  He  was  a 
little  shy  in  the  company  of  the  two  strange  girls. 

The  children  rode  on  quietly  for  several  miles, 
when  James  called  to  the  others  to  look  closely  into 
the  thick  grass  by  the  roadside.  They  discovered 
two  sharp  eyes  set  in  a  white  furry  head. 

"But  don't  stop.  Bide  on  fast,"  directed  James. 
* '  That  was  a  skunk — a  beauty  too. ' ' 

Later  on  when  the  riders  passed  a  big  field  of  cat- 
tle, a  fierce-eyed  bull  plunged  toward  the  barbed- 
wire  fence  that  shut  him  in,  longing  to  attack  the 
children.  Lucy  and  Theresa  breathed  more  easily 
when  they  had  got  out  of  his  sight. 

'  *  Almost  there ! ' '  said  James  at  last.  * '  I  can  hear 
the  baaing  of  the  sheep.  Yes,  now  we  can  see  them!" 

"What  lots  and  lots  of  them!"  cried  Lucy. 

"And  the  dear  little  lambs  at  their  mothers' 
sides!"  added  Theresa.  "I'd  love  to  be  a  shep- 
herd." 

"There  he  goes  now,"  said  James,  reining  in  his 
pony  to  get  a  good  look.  "He's  on  horseback  and 
keeps  moving  about  among  the  flocks.  Let's  call  at 
his  hut  and  say  good-day  to  his  wife  and  children 
before  we  go  to  the  shearing." 

With  these  words,  James  headed  his  pony  for  a 
tiny  mud-brick  house  thatched  with  grass.  Three 
[146] 


DANGER  AHEAD 

dark-eyed  Italian  children  came  running  out  to  meet 
the  visitors.  Behind  them  was  their  mother  with 
braided  hair  wound  around  her  head  and  a  bright 
red  kerchief  folded  over  her  shoulders. 

''Mother  sent  you  these,"  said  James,  handing 
the  woman  a  pair  of  ear-rings  and  some  gay  ribbons. 

She  thanked  him  with  a  deep  bow  and  many  Italian 
words  the  other  visitors  did  not  understand.  Then 
she  hurried  back  to  her  work,  as  she  was  preparing 
dinner  for  the  shearers  who  had  come  to  help  her 
husband.  Her  young  guests  followed  her  as  she 
went  to  a  big  oven  in  the  yard  and  opened  the  door 
to  look  in  at  roasting  joints  of  beef  and  mutton. 

"Yum,  yum!"  said  James.  "The  smell  of  that 
meat  makes  me  hungry.  We'd  better  get  on  to  the 
shearing,  or  we  won't  be  home  in  time  for  our  own 
dinner. ' ' 

Scattering  a  handful  of  coins  among  the  little 
Italians,  the  English  lad  led  the  way  to  a  large  store- 
house. Close  by  were  pens  in  which  hundreds  of 
sheep  were  huddled  together.  Two  men  were  busy 
lifting  out  the  animals,  binding  their  legs  and  send- 
ing them  by  other  helpers  to  the  storehouse.  These 
the  visitors  followed.  As  they  entered  the  door 
they  could  see  the  shearers  cutting  off  thick  tufts  of 
wool  from  the  backs  of  helpless  sheep.  Another 
man  was  weighing  the  wool,  tying  it  into  big  bun- 
dles, and  handing  these  to  an  assistant  who  tossed 
them  into  the  loft  overhead. 

"Poor  creatures!"  said  Theresa  pityingly,  as  she 
looked  at  the  shorn  sheep,  which  were  trembling, 
[147] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

partly  from  fear,  partly  from  cold  at  the  loss  of 
their  warm  coats. 

"When  all  the  wool  is  ready  for  shipment  there 
will  be  another  busy  time,"  Pedro  told  the  little 
girls.  "If  you  are  still  here,  you  will  see  a  long 
train  of  carts  leaving  the  estancia,  each  one  loaded 
as  high  as  possible.  The  loads  are  so  heavy  that 
the  train  fairly  creeps,  though  eight  or  more  horses 
will  draw  a  single  cart. ' ' 

"Before  we  start  for  home  let's  leave  the  road  and 
take  a  short  ride  through  the  tall  grass,"  proposed 
James.  "It's  a  deal  of  fun.  I  have  my  pocket 
compass  with  me,  so  we  can't  get  lost." 

Away  flew  the  children  over  the  wide-stretching 
pampas,  not  one  of  them  noticing  that  the  sun  was 
getting  out  of  sight  behind  a  heavy  black  cloud. 
Then,  suddenly,  sounded  an  angry  rumble  in  the 
heavens.  At  the  same  moment  darkness  swept  over 
the  pampas. 

"It's  beginning  to  rain, ' '  James  called  back.  '  *  We 
are  in  for  it ! " 

The  rain  was  already  falling  in  sheets,  and  light- 
ning coming  in  blinding  flashes.  Theresa's  heart 
beat  fast.  So  did  Lucy's,  though  she  tried  her  best 
to  appear  brave  when  she  saw  that  the  two  boys 
were  actually  laughing  over  their  plight.  How 
lonely  it  was — not  even  a  windmill  in  sight  1 

"Speed  up!"  James  shouted,  checking  his  pony 
long  enough  to  examine  his  compass.  "Now  then, 
follow  me!" 

On  flew  the  riders,  the  lightning  playing  about 
[148] 


DANGER  AHEAD 

them  in  constant  dazzling  flashes,  the  thunder  roll- 
ing as  if  the  sky  were  being  bombarded,  and  the  rain 
falling  in  such  torrents  that  the  water  ran  in  streams 
down  the  ponies'  sides  and  their  young  riders' 
clothing. 

"Oh!"  cried  Lucy  suddenly.  Something  had 
struck  her  cheek  and  cut  it. 

"We  are  in  for  it,"  shouted  back  James.  "It's 
hailing. ' ' 

The  boy  was  at  last  frightened,  not  for  himself, 
but  for  the  little  girls  in  his  care.  He  knew  the 
damage  that  hail  in  Argentina  sometimes  works ;  he 
had  seen  the  stones  as  big  as  pigeons'  eggs.  For 
this  reason  the  windows  on  the  storm  side  of  his 
home  were  protected  by  wire  netting. 

The  ponies  needed  no  urging.  On,  on  they  flew, 
with  their  riders  bending  over  them  as  far  as  pos- 
sible to  keep  their  faces  hidden  from  the  sharp  hail- 
stones. 

Scared  as  Lucy  was  for  herself,  she  did  not  forget 
gentle,  beautiful  Snow  White.  "Poor  little  crea- 
ture," she  whispered  to  her.  "I  hope  you  will  not 
be  hurt." 

"I  see  a  windmill!"  called  James  at  last. 

"And  there  is  your  house,"  cried  Pedro  cheerily. 

"We're  safe,  but  wet  as  dolphins,"  shouted 
James  a  minute  afterward  to  a  group  of  worried- 
looking  people  in  the  doorway.  And  when  the  lit- 
tle girls  had  been  helped  down  from  their  ponies  and 
hurried  into  the  house  by  Mr.  Wolfe,  what  a  rejoic- 
ing there  was!  Dripping  wet  as  they  were,  they 
[149] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

were  hugged  again  and  again  by  Miss  Lee  and  Mrs. 
Wolfe,  who  had  been  fearful  about  them  for  the  last 
hour. 

' '  That  was  an  experience  for  two  little  girls, ' '  Mr. 
Wolfe  told  his  wife,  after  she  had  given  each  of  the 
children  some  hot  mate.  "To  tell  the  truth,  I  was 
a  bit  scared  about  them  myself. ' ' 


[150] 


CHAPTER  IX 

BACK   TO   THE  BIG  CITY 

V/f  AYBE  it's  a  message  from  my  dear  papa,"  said 
1*  A  Theresa,  running  up  to  Lucy,  who  was  on  the 
shady  side  of  the  veranda  dressing  a  doll.  The  lit- 
tle girl  had  spied  a  messenger  handing  a  telegram 
to  Mr.  Wolfe. 

Theresa's  guess  was  correct.  Every  one  in  the 
household  was  excited,  of  course,  because  only  once 
after  the  wanderers  arrived  on  the  coast  of  Pata- 
gonia had  they  been  able  to  send  a  message.  That 
was  three  weeks  ago.  "During  our  tramp  inland 
we  can't  even  telegraph  you,"  Senhor  Vasco  had 
said,  and  so  no  one  was  troubled  at  the  silence.  But 
now  Theresa  could  scarcely  contain  her  joy. 

"All  well,"  ran  the  telegram.  "Just  setting  sail 
for  Buenos  Aires." 

"Let  us  go  to  the  city  ourselves  and  take  our 
friends  by  surprise,"  Mr.  Wolfe  proposed.  "Then 
they  must  come  back  here  for  a  little  visit  before 
starting  for  Chile. ' ' 

"Indeed,  yes!"  said  his  wife.  "I  want  to  keep 
my  little  guests  with  me  as  long  as  possible." 

So  it  came  to  pass  that  a  gay  party  stood  on  the 
pier  to  greet  the  travelers  when  they  landed. 
[151] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"How  brown  you  are — even  more  so  than  when 
you  got  back  from  the  Amazon ! ' '  Lucy  told  the  boys 
as  they  all  rode  out  to  the  Wolfes'  villa,  which  had 
been  opened  for  their  coming.  Theresa  said  noth- 
ing; she  was  too  happy  for  words,  as  she  sat  snug- 
gled up  to  her  father 's  side  with  a  tiny  hand  clasped 
in  his  big  one. 

"There  is  so  much  to  tell,  it's  hard  to  know  where 
to  begin, "  said  Carlos,  as  all  gathered  on  the  veranda 
in  the  moonlight  that  evening. 

Senhor  Vasco  smiled. 

"Perhaps  the  best  way  to  begin  will  be  at  the  be- 
ginning," he  said.  Then  he  went  on,  telling  about 
the  sea  trip  south  along  the  coast,  and  the  other  pas- 
sengers on  board  the  ship.  There  was  one  family, 
with  three  children  in  it,  that  had  left  a  cosy  little 
home  with  vineyards  and  orchards  in  distant  Ger- 
many, to  raise  sheep  on  the  wild  Patagonian  pam- 
pas. 

Then  Senhor  Vasco  told  of  the  Patagonian  port 
where  he  and  the  boys  landed — a  few  sheet-iron 
buildings  with  no  trees  and  only  coarse  scanty  grass 
in  sight.  Behind  it  stretched  the  sandy  pampas 
dotted  with  clumps  of  thorn  bushes. 

"It  was  a  great  day  for  the  townspeople  when  we 
arrived,"  said  Joe,  as  Mr.  Wolfe  stopped  to  rest. 
"They  had  flocked  to  the  shore  from  miles  around 
to  see  the  ship  and  get  supplies  it  had  brought  them. 
Some  of  them  would  now  have  new  clothes ;  others 
were  after  sugar  and  canned  fruit  and  vegetables. 
[152] 


BACK  TO  THE  BIG  CITY 

Think  of  it !  nothing  fresh  to  eat  raised  in  the  whole 
country  except  mutton. ' ' 

"And  yet,"  said  Carlos,  taking  up  the  story,  "the 
boys  and  girls  looked  red-cheeked  and  happy,  even  if 
they  have  no  candy-stores  nor  fruit-stalls  in  which 
to  spend  their  money." 

"That  is  probably  why  they  are  so  healthy,"  said 
Mrs.  Wolfe  softly.  "Without  rich  desserts,  and 
living  most  of  the  time  in  the  fresh  air,  they  can 
have  little  need  of  a  doctor's  care." 

"I  don't  see  what  fun  there  was  for  you  in  that 
little  town  of  sheet-iron  houses,"  said  Lucy  thought- 
fully, as  she  turned  toward  Senhor  Vasco. 

« « There  wasn  't  any, ' '  he  laughed.  « '  We  left  it  as 
soon  as  we  could — that  is,  after  we  had  secured  a 
good  guide  and  bought  some  horses.  You  know  we 
got  our  sleeping  bags,  provisions,  and  the  rest  of 
our  camping  outfit  before  we  left  this  city.  More- 
over, I  was  anxious  to  reach  my  friend's  ranch  as 
soon  as  possible." 

"So  away  we  went  into  the  wilderness,"  cried 
Carlos,  "when  we  rode  over  the  trails  among  thorn 
bushes  for  three  days  and  slept  two  nights  in  our 
warm  bags  under  the  bright  stars  of  the  Southern 
Cross." 

"It  was  great  fun  getting  our  own  meals,"  said 
Senhor  Vasco,  going  on  with  the  story.  "Each 
morning  we  rose  before  daylight.  Then,  while  we 
were  dressing  and  packing,  our  Indian  guide,  Jim, 
made  a  fire  out  of  callifate  brush,  which  contains  a 
good  deal  of  pitch.  And,  by  the  way,  Joe,  you  were 
[153] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

wrong  in  giving  the  idea  that  no  fruit  is  raised  in 
Patagonia,  because  the  callifate  bush  has  small  sour 
red  berries  which  the  settlers  often  make  into  jam. 

"But  to  continue:  Breakfast  was  quickly  ready 
because  all  Jim  had  to  do  was  to  heat  some  cans  of 
food  over  the  fire  and  make  mate.  As  soon  as  we 
had  eaten,  we  reloaded  our  packhorses  with  our 
camping  outfit.  Then  away  we  went  along  the  trails 
made  by  natives  and  settlers,  plodding  hour  after 
hour  over  the  sandy  pathway  with  no  person,  no  ani- 
mal, no  house  in  sight." 

"Toward  night  of  the  first  day,  though,  we  had 
an  adventure,"  said  Carlos,  fearing  his  father  had 
forgotten  it. 

"Tell  about  it,  my  son." 

"It  was  this  way:  Jim  and  Father  were  ahead, 
and  Joe  and  I  were  lagging  behind.  Our  horses 
were  so  tired  they  fairly  crawled  up  the  rocky  hill 
they  were  climbing,  and  we  boys  were  half  asleep 
from  the  long  day's  ride.  Finally  Joe  lay  back  to 
stretch  himself,  letting  the  reins  loose ;  at  that  very 
moment  his  horse  stumbled  and  he  fell  off,  catching 
his  foot  in  the  stirrup. ' ' 

"At  that  the  horse  started  up,  dragging  me  along 
with  her,  till  I  didn't  know  whether  I  was  dead  or 
alive,"  put  in  Joe. 

"Of  course  I  shouted,  and  jumped  from  my  horse, 
and  Jim  and  Father  wheeled  about,  and  Joe  was 
rescued  by  the  time  he  was  a  mass  of  bruises  and  his 
ankle  was  sprained.  And  after  that,"  Carlos  ran 
on,  "Father  got  out  his  case  of  'first  aid  to  the  in- 
[154] 


BACK  TO  THE  BIG  CITY 

jured'  and  Joe  was  patched  up.  But  of  course  we 
had  to  rest  a  while  before  he  was  able  to  go  on.  And 
as  we  stretched  ourselves  out  on  the  hillsides,  Jim 
suddenly  said,  'Aha,  guanacos!'  He  pointed  far 
out  on  the  plain  below  us.  There  among  the  thorn 
bushes  small  animals  were  moving  about — at  least 
forty  of  them. 

"  'Sh!  don't  move  or  make  a  sound!'  continued 
Jim  in  a  whisper.  '  The  wind  is  in  our  favor,  or  the 
guanacos  would  have  scented  us  before  this.' 

"  Creeping  along  on  all  fours,  he  went  to  a  pack- 
horse  after  his  rifle.  Still  keeping  low,  he  went  down 
the  hillside,  then  in  and  out  among  the  bushes  to- 
ward the  herd.  My  eyes  did  not  leave  him  till  he 
had  drawn  near  enough  to  shoot.  The  bullet  flew 
straight  into  the  neck  of  a  buck,  which  sprang 
into  the  air,  and  then  fell  to  the  ground  in  its  death 
struggle.  Away  galloped  the  rest  of  the  herd  and 
were  soon  out  of  sight. 

"I  ran  to  meet  Jim  as  soon  as  he  started  back 
with  the  buck  over  his  shoulders." 

"My,  but  that  guanaco  was  a  beauty!"  again  in- 
terrupted Joe.  "Its  fur  was  tawny  yellow  with 
white  spots ;  it  looked  somewhat  like  a  baby  camel, 
somewhat  like  an  antelope.  It  must  have  weighed 
one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds." 

"I'll  never  forget  our  supper  that  night,"  said 
Senhor  Vasco.  "Jim  broiled  a  guanaco  steak  over 
the  brush  fire;  it  seemed  to  us  hungry  trampers  as 
delicious  as  venison." 

"Let  me  see.  We  didn't  have  another  adventure 
[155] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

till  the  end  of  the  second  day,"  said  Joe  thought- 
fully. ' '  That  was  when  we  reached  a  little  mud  hut 
and  found  a  man  living  there  with  his  two  sons. 
They  asked  us  in  and  treated  us  to  supper  of  roasted 
mutton  and  dried  biscuit,  with  mate.  The  father 
heated  the  water  for  the  mate  over  a  fire  built  in  the 
middle  of  the  room.  There  was  no  chimney,  so  the 
smoke  made  us  cough  and  choke.  There  was  only 
one  gourd  for  all  of  us  to  drink  from,  and  each  of 
us  had  to  cut  off  a  slice  of  mutton  for  himself  and 
eat  it  with  his  fingers." 

Miss  Lee's  face  puckered  at  the  idea. 

"If  you  were  tramping  in  a  wild  country,  you 
wouldn't  mind  a  little  thing  like  that,"  said  Senhor 
Vasco  with  a  smile.  Then  he  took  up  the  story. 

1  'At  sunset  of  the  third  day,"  he  said,  "we  saw 
a  large  sheep  ranch  ahead  of  us,  and  Jim  told  me  it 
was  my  friend  Berg's  whom  I  had  traveled  all  the 
way  to  see.  When  at  last  we  reached  the  house, 
which  was  made  entirely  of  corrugated  iron,  you  can 
all  imagine  what  an  exciting  time  there  was.  Herr 
Berg  and  his  wife  seemed  glad  beyond  measure  at 
the  surprise-party,  and  made  us  very  comfortable, 
even  though  their  home  is  small  and  away  out  in  the 
wilderness." 

"Think  of  it!  They  have  a  piano  and  pictures, 
and  easy  chairs,  all  brought  on  a  ship  from  Ger- 
many and  then  carted  over  rough  trails  by  mule 
train!"  said  Carlos. 

"And  they  haven't  any  neighbors  for  miles  and 
miles!"  cried  Joe. 

[156] 


BACK  TO  THE  BIG  CITY 

"With  nothing  to  see  from  the  window  save  an 
endless  stretch  of  thorn  bushes,"  continued  Senhor 
Vasco. 

4 'The  next  day,"  Joe  went  on,  "the  Berg  children 
showed  us  over  the  place.  We  went  around  among 
the  flocks  of  sheep  and  visited  the  poultry  yards. 
Not  like  any  you  ever  saw,"  the  boy  went  on,  look- 
ing at  one  after  another  of  his  listeners,  "because 
there  were  young  ostriches  running  about  among  the 
chickens. ' ' 

"Ostriches?"  cried  the  little  girls. 

"Yes,  the  Patagonians  call  them  ostriches,  though 
Senhor  Vasco  says  they  are  really  rheas.  Herr  Berg 
hatched  them  from  eggs  laid  by  the  wild  ostriches — 
he  had  found  them  in  the  sand  out  in  the  wilderness. 
He  was  raising  the  birds  for  meat.  Their  feathers 
are  small  and  coarse,  but  Hans  told  me  his  mother 
would  use  them  when  the  birds  were  killed;  she 
would  make  them  into  mats  and  dusters." 

"The  next  day  after  we  arrived  we  had  broiled 
ostrich  meat  for  dinner,"  put  in  Carlos. 

' '  The  omelet  we  had  for  breakfast  took  my  fancy," 
said  Senhor  Vasco.  "It  was  large  enough  to  sat- 
isfy the  appetite  of  the  whole  family,  yet  it  was  made 
out  of  only  two  ostrich  eggs — Herr  Berg  had  found 
them  the  day  before  in  a  nest  out  on  the  pampas. 

"My  friend  told  me,"  he  continued,  "that  a  num- 
ber of  mother  birds  lay  their  eggs  together  in  a  big 
hollow  in  the  sand.  During  a  large  part  of  the  day, 
the  sun  keeps  them  warm  enough ;  but  with  the  ap- 
[1571 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

proach  of  night  the  father  birds  take  their  places  on 
the  nest  to  brood  over  the  eggs." 

"How  odd!"  said  Miss  Lee.  "Fancy  hens  strut- 
ting around  our  own  farm  yards  while  the  cocks  are 
patiently  hatching  out  the  chickens." 

The  idea  set  every  one  laughing. 

"The  Berg  children  had  a  tame  guanaco,"  said 
Joe,  when  there  was  quiet  once  more.  *  *  Their  father 
brought  it  home  after  killing  the  mother  when  he  was 
out  hunting.  It  was  so  gentle,  I  just  loved  it ;  it  fol- 
lowed us  around  like  a  pet  dog.  When  it  was  brought 
home,  it  was  so  young  the  children  told  me  they  had 
to  feed  it  milk  from  a  bottle." 

"In  our  stores  here  in  Buenos  Aires  I  have  seen 
beautiful  blankets  made  by  the  Patagonian  Indians 
out  of  the  skins  of  young  guanacos,"  said  Mrs. 
Wolfe. 

1 '  Oh,  the  Bergs  would  never  kill  their  pet  to  use  its 
skin!"  Joe's  voice  was  full  of  dismay  at  such  an 
idea.  "Frau  Berg  had  a  mat  in  her  sitting-room 
made  of  the  skins  of  wild  guanacos,"  he  added,  "but 
that  is  a  different  matter." 

"After  several  delightful  days  with  my  friends," 
said  Senhor  Vasco,  taking  up  the  story,  "we  bade 
them  good-by  and  started  south." 

"We  had  an  exciting  adventure  before  we  turned 
eastward."  After  saying  this  Joe  stopped  and 
looked  from  one  to  another,  hoping  by  the  pause  to 
rouse  their  curiosity  more  keenly. 

"Don't  wait.    Tell  us  right  off,"  begged  Lucy. 

"We  were  riding  over  a  long  stretch  of  desert, 
[158] 


BACK  TO  THE  BIG  CITY 

and  had  to  go  slowly  because  the  sand  was  so  hard 
on  our  horses'  feet,"  said  Joe  after  several  slow 
ahems.  "It  was  bad  enough  as  it  was,  with  the  air 
as  hot  as  that  of  a  furnace,  while  up  over  our  heads 
— it  was  noon-time — the  sun  looked  like  a  ball  of 
fire.  But  it  was  still  worse  when  a  fierce  wind  came 
up,  scorching  our  faces  so  it  seemed  as  if  they  must 
blister.  Suddenly  Jim  called  out,  'Do  you  see  that 
cloud  low  in  the  sky?  It  means  trouble.' 

"The  cloud  came  nearer  and  nearer,  and  with  it 
came — what  do  you  think?" 

"Bain,  of  course,"  said  Theresa  promptly. 

' l  Wrong  you  are !  A  storm  of  thick,  driving  dust 
swept  over  us.  'Quick!'  shouted  Jim.  He  had  al- 
ready sprung  from  his  horse  and  was  digging  a  hole 
in  the  sand.  '  Get  down ! '  he  ordered.  '  Spread  your 
blankets,  creep  under  them,  and  shut  your  eyes ! ' 

"Without  a  word  we  did  as  he  had  told  us.  There 
we  lay  till  the  storm  passed  by,  and  then  we  found 
that  we  had  big  loads  of  sand  to  lift,  as  well  as  our 
blankets,  before  we  could  be  free.  My!  how  we 
choked  and  coughed  when  we  got  up  to  shake  off  the 
heavy  white  dust  that  had  sifted  in  upon  us  even 
through  the  thick  covering.  Our  ears  and  noses  were 
full  of  it,  too." 

"But  the  poor  horses — what  had  become  of 
them?"  asked  Miss  Lee. 

"They  had  lain  down  and  protected  their  heads 
as  well  as  they  could,  but  they  were  in  a  sorry  state. 
After  much  snorting,  which  kept  company  with  our 
[159] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

coughs  and  sneezes,  they  were  soon  able  to  start  off 
again,  however." 

*  'I  declare!"  Mrs.  Wolfe  laughed.  "I  feel  as  if 
I  had  been  out  in  a  sandstorm  myself.  I  don't  envy 
you  your  experience  one  bit." 

"It  was  exciting,  though,  and  different  from  what 
most  folks  know  about,  so  I'm  glad  I  had  it."  Joe's 
eyes  shone  at  the  thought  of  all  he  should  sometime 
have  to  tell  his  boy  friends  in  New  York. 

"After  that  sandstorm,  we  had  another  that 
wasn't  very  pleasant,"  said  Carlos,  who  was  getting 
sleepy,  yet  wished  to  have  his  share  of  the  story 
telling.  t  i  We  rode  all  one  day  in  a  driving  rain,  but 
at  night  we  got  shelter  with  a  colony  of  Boers  who 
had  lived  happily  in  South  Africa  before  the  war 
with  the  English,  but  had  lately  come  to  Patagonia 
to  raise  sheep.  I  tell  you,  the  Boer  home  where  we 
spent  the  night  seemed  comfortable  after  the  long 
tiresome  ride  I  It  was  made  of  mud-bricks,  and  was 
as  neat  as  wax,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  dinner  of  mut- 
ton and  macaroni  was  about  the  best  I  ever  tasted. 
When  it  was  over  we  sat  with  the  family  around  the 
fireplace,  listening  to  stories  of  Indians,  and  of  os- 
trich and  guanaco  hunts." 

"The  next  day,"  said  Senhor  Vasco,  seeing  that 
both  boys  were  really  too  tired  to  talk,  "we  rode  into 
a  flock  of  ostriches  skimming  over  the  sand,  with 
wings  spread  out,  heads  stretched  forward,  and  kick- 
ing up  the  dust  with  their  long  legs.  They  travel 
very  fast,  and  sometimes  even  race  a  train,  actually 
keeping  up  with  it  for  quite  a  while." 
[160] 


BACK  TO  THE  BIG  CITY 

"That's  going  some,'*  broke  in  Joe,  falling  into 
American  slang,  "when  the  train  is  moving  forty 
miles  an  hour." 

"Fast  as  the  birds  travel,"  continued  Senhor 
Vasco,  "a  hunter  on  a  swift  horse  soon  tires  them 
out.  Then,  with  a  skillful  fling  of  a  leather  string 
with  iron  balls  at  each  end,  he  winds  it  around  the 
legs  of  an  ostrich  and  it  falls  helpless  to  the 
ground." 

"The  Boer  family  treated  us  to  armadillo  stuffed 
with  bread-crumbs, ' '  said  Carlos,  putting  in  one  last 
word.  < '  It  was  good,  although  the  armadillos  down 
there  are  not  as  big  as  ours." 

"We  had  a  splendid  time,"  declared  Joe,  "but  I 
was  glad  to  get  back  to  the  coast,  and  then  we  had 
to  travel  a  half-day  before  reaching  the  port  from 
which  we  were  to  sail  home.  We  saw  sea-lions  bask- 
ing in  the  sunshine  on  the  rocks  near  the  shore;  and 
once  we  stopped  to  explore  a  cliff,  and  discovered  a 
buzzard's  nest  with  four  eggs  in  it.  The  mother 
bird  had  flown  off,  but  she  came  hurrying  back  as 
scared  and  angry  as  could  be. 

"But  the  best  of  all  was  meeting  a  party  of  Ameri- 
can scientists  who  had  come  down  to  Patagonia  to 
hunt  for  the  bones  of  prehistoric  animals.  They 
were  awfully  glad  to  see  us  and  talked  with  me  about 
dear  old  New  York." 

Lucy  sighed  enviously. 

"And  now,  dear  friends,"  said  Senhor  Vasco, 
turning  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wolfe,  "we  must  soon  take 
leave  of  you  and  start  out  on  our  further  wanderings 
[161] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

• — first  across  Argentina  into  Chile  on  your  fine 
Transandine  railroad;  then  up  the  western  coast, 
through  the  wonderful  Panama  Canal,  and  home 
again  by  way  of  the  Atlantic.  I  want  my  children 
and  these  little  American  friends  of  ours  to  know 
South  America  before  we  end  our  travels.  Miss  Lee, 
too,  I  feel  sure  will  enjoy  the  journey." 

1 '  Oh,  oh ! "  cried  Mrs.  Wolfe  in  dismay.  ' '  My  hus- 
band and  I  had  hoped  you  would  all  spend  at  least 
a  month  with  us  on  our  estancia. ' ' 

"I  am  very  sorry  we  cannot  accept  your  invita- 
tion. You  have  already  been  most  kind  to  us." 
Senhor  Vasco's  voice  was  full  of  gratitude.  "But 
we  must  really  be  on  our  way. ' ' 

"The  boys  had  a  good  time,  of  course,"  Lucy  said 
to  Theresa,  when  the  good-nights  had  been  said,  and 
they  were  on  their  way  upstairs.  "But  I'm  glad  we 
didn't  go  with  them,  and  went  to  the  estancia  in- 
stead." 

"So  am  I,  and  I  hate  to  leave  the  Wolfes  now—- 
they have  been  so  kind  to  us,"  answered  the  affec- 
tionate little  girl. 


[162] 


CHAPTER  X 

OVER   THE   MOUNTAINS 

T)AMP AS,  pampas  everywhere,"  said  Joe  with  a 
•^  yawn.  ' '  Cattle  and  sheep  and  grain  fields,  and 
then  more  cattle  and  sheep. ' ' 

The  train  was  now  many  hours  on  its  westward 
way,  and  the  children  were  getting  tired  and  restless. 

"All  Argentina  isn't  what  you  just  described," 
replied  Senhor  Vasco.  "Up  in  the  north,  for  in- 
stance, where  the  weather  is  warmer  and  the  rains 
are  heavy,  one  finds  rich  fruit  and  sugar  lands. 
There  you  could  picnic  among  groves  of  palm-trees 
as  in  our  dear  Brazil.  Yes,  and  you  could  stretch 
your  hammock  in  a  lemon  or  orange  orchard  and  let 
the  ripe  fruit  fall  into  your  lap." 

"I  suppose  we  could  pick  bananas  too,"  said  Lucy. 
"Then,  after  eating  my  fill,  I'd  cry  out  like  Carlos, 
'I'm  a  monkey,  I'm  a  monkey.'  That  sounded  so 
funny  to  me  at  first,  till  I  found  out  how  fond  mon- 
keys are  of  bananas." 

As  Lucy  spoke,  the  porter  cried :  *  *  First  call  for 
dinner."  It  was  already  dark  outside;  so,  after  a 
hearty  meal  in  the  handsome  dining-car,  the  travel- 
ers "turned  in"  for  the  night,  to  find  themselves 
at  sunrise  in  the  rich  vine-lands  of  western  Argen- 
tina, with  the  Andes  close  at  hand. 
[163] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"What  a  beautiful  place!"  exclaimed  Miss  Lee, 
as  the  train  reached  Mendoza  with  its  many  orchards 
and  grape-vines,  and  its  cosy  homes  half  hidden 
among  the  trees.  Beyond  were  the  snow-topped 
mountains  reaching  up  into  the  clouds. 

As  there  would  be  a  wait  of  several  hours  before 
the  narrow-gage  train  would  leave  for  the  journey 
across  the  Andes,  the  party  had  time  for  a  long  walk 
through  the  shady  streets.  More  than  once  they 
stopped  to  watch  groups  of  children  at  their  play. 

"They  have  little  thought  that  they  are  playing 
above  the  ruins  of  another  town  which  was  destroyed 
by  an  earthquake, ' '  said  Senhor  Vasco,  half  to  him- 
self. 

*  'An  earthquake ! ' '   Lucy  shivered  as  she  spoke. 

1 '  Tell  us  about  it,  please, ' '  begged  Joe,  who  had  a 
boy's  liking  for  horrors. 

"An  old  gentleman  in  the  smoking-car  described 
it  to  me  on  the  way  here ;  he  was  a  little  boy  living 
in  the  city  at  the  time.  Well,  to  begin:  It  was  on 
a  Sunday  afternoon  and  the  churches  were  filled  with 
people.  Suddenly  the  ground  began  to  shake  and 
a  low  grumble  sounded  through  the  air,  drowning 
the  voices  of  the  singers  and  priests. 

' '  The  next  moment  it  seemed  to  the  few  who  were 
left  alive  as  if  there  were  no  churches,  no  anything  of 
the  pretty  city — just  ruins,  ruins  everywhere.  It 
happened  that  my  fellow-passenger  who  told  me 
about  it  was  walking  by  the  river  with  his  parents. 
All  at  once,  he  noticed  that  the  river  was  rising. 
[164] 


OVER  THE  MOUNTAINS 

The  next  instant  he  felt  himself  being  lifted  up  into 
the  air.  Should  he  ever  stop,  he  wondered  dully. 

"He  knew  nothing  more  till  he  awoke  to  find  him- 
self lying  on  a  rough  pile  of  earth  with  the  stars 
twinkling  merrily  overhead.  Not  a  sound  about  him ! 
'Mother!  Father!'  he  cried;  but  there  was  no  an- 
swer. He  did  not  know  then  that  his  parents  were 
lying  dead  beneath  the  city's  ruins. 

"All  night  long  the  little  boy  wandered  about  alone 
among  piles  of  stone  and  broken  lumber.  When 
morning  came  at  last,  he  met  a  sad-eyed  man  search- 
ing among  the  ruins  for  his  own  loved  ones.  This 
man  took  pity  on  the  little  orphan  and  adopted  him ; 
but  neither  could  ever  forget  the  sorrow  caused  them 
by  the  earthquake  which  had  destroyed  the  city  and 
brought  death  to  ten  thousand  or  more  people." 

"How  dreadful!"  said  Miss  Lee;  while  Joe  whis- 
pered to  his  sister,  l '  Suppose  the  earth  should  open 
and  swallow  us  this  very  minute ! ' ' 

Theresa  caught  his  words  and  burst  into  tears. 

"I  only  said  that  to  tease  Lucy,"  Joe  said  in- 
stantly, "and  I'm  truly- ruly  sorry.  You  know  they 
say  lightning  never  strikes  twice  in  the  same  place, 
and  I  guess  it's  true  of  earthquakes." 

"There's  the  narrow-gage  road  ahead  of  us," 
called  back  Carlos,  who  was  walking  ahead  of  the 
others  with  his  father. 

"And  we'll  soon  be  riding  along  that  steep  track 
up  among  the  mountains,"  said  Joe,  hoping  to  keep 
Theresa's  mind  busy  with  other  thoughts.  "Per- 
[165] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

haps  we'll  catch  sight  of  some  llamas  jumping  about 
among  the  crags." 

When  the  little  train,  with  an  engine  pushing 
bravely  behind,  bore  the  travelers  out  of  the  small 
town,  Senhor  Vasco  remarked  that  he  was  sorry  to 
leave  Argentina  without  a  visit  to  the  old  town  of 
Cordova. 

"Long  before  the  Pilgrims  landed  on  your 'own 
Plymouth  Kock,"  he  told  the  twins,  "the  Spanish 
settlers  of  Cordova  built  a  university  there." 

At  first  the  children  could  see  grape-vines  and  al- 
falfa fields  from  the  car  windows,  but  as  they  climbed 
higher  they  looked  out  on  a  wild,  rocky  country.  High 
above  them  towered  the  lofty  peaks  of  the  Andes, 
the  summit  of  the  volcano  Aconcagua  above  them  all. 

"How  strange!"  cried  Miss  Lee,  as  she  noticed 
the  coloring  of  a  stream  beside  which  the  train  was 
now  moving. 

"That  is  the  Mendoza  River,"  said  Senhor  Vasco, 
consulting  his  map.  "Those  bright  colors  must  be 
given  by  the  metals  found  in  its  rocky  bed;  the 
stream  itself  is  the  gift  of  the  melting  snows  on  the 
heights  above." 

On  puffed  the  train  past  a  row  of  cliffs  that  looked 
like  a  procession  of  pilgrims  bent  with  a  hard  jour- 
ney. Then  Joe  discovered  a  stone  bridge  that  Dame 
Nature  must  have  made  herself.  At  the  children's 
cries  of  wonder,  a  fellow-passenger  in  the  next  seat 
turned  around  and  told  them  the  story  of  the  place. 

"In  the  long  ago,"  he  said,  "before  the  coming 
of  the  white  man,  the  Indians  had  great  faith  in  the 
[166] 


OVER  THE  MOUNTAINS 

power  of  healing  possessed  by  the  waters  below  that 
bridge.  They  would  travel  many  miles  to  drink 
there.  Come  then  1  Let  us  imagine  that  a  red  chief 
is  very  ill  and  that  he  is  being  borne  there  in  a  lit- 
ter over  the  wild  mountain  passes  to  be  cured  of 
some  dreadful  illness." 

"Yes,  yes,  I  can  see  the  waving  plumes  of  the  sick 
chief ;  now  he  has  reached  the  stream  and  is  about  to 
drink  a  gourdful  of  the  wonderful  water,"  said  The- 
resa, who  had  a  lively  imagination. 

No  one  spoke  for  some  time,  as  all  were  busy  feast- 
ing on  the  wild  beauty  of  the  country,  now  catching 
glimpses  of  snowy  peaks,  and  again  filled  with  won- 
der at  the  brilliant  colors  of  nearby  rocks.  Unno- 
ticed, the  train  had  begun  to  slow  up  and  they  heard 
the  call  "La  Cuevas!"  as  they  entered  a  little  sta- 
tion. 

"Good-by,  friend  Argentina.  We  shall  see  no 
more  of  you, ' '  said  Senhor  Vasco.  Then,  as  the  por- 
ter began  lighting  up  the  car,  he  told  the  children 
to  prepare  for  a  long  underground  ride.  "We  have 
already  passed  through  several  short  tunnels,"  he 
said,  "but  now  we  are  about  to  travel  through  one 
over  ten  thousand  feet  long,  dug  through  the  heart 
of  a  mountain.  When  we  next  see  daylight,  we  shall 
be  in  Chile." 

"By  going  through  this  tunnel  instead  of  over  it," 
said  the  stranger  in  the  next  seat,  once  more  turning 
around  to  talk  with  the  children,  "you  miss  the 
greatest  sight  among  the  mountains." 
[167] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Joe,  before  any  one  else  had 
a  chance  to  speak. 

"The  Christ  of  the  Andes,"  said  the  gentleman 
reverently.  "It  is  a  statue  of  our  dear  Lord,  twen- 
Jy-six  feet  high ;  one  hand  holds  the  cross ;  the  other 
is  stretched  forward  in  blessing ;  and  as  the  beholder 
looks  into  the  calm  face  above,  it  seems  as  if  he  could 
hear  the  words, '  Peace  be  unto  you. '  ' ' 

"Why  should  such  a  statue  stand  in  that  lonely 
place  among  the  snow  and  ice?"  asked  Lucy. 

"It  is  the  emblem,  my  child,  of  brotherly  love  be- 
tween Chile  and  Argentina,  who  were  once  on  the 
verge  of  war.  Cast  out  of  bronze  from  cannon  be- 
longing to  both  countries,  it  was  set  up  on  the  boun- 
dary-line to  speak  of  the  peace  which  they  have 
vowed  shall  evermore  exist  between  them." 

"Did  you  ever  see  it?"  asked  Carlos. 

"Indeed,  yes.  Before  the  railroad  was  built  I 
climbed  with  some  friends  over  the  Andes.  A  ter- 
rible storm  overtook  us ;  we  were  already  blinded  by 
the  snow  and  nearly  frozen,  when  we  came  upon  a 
rest  house  where  we  were  sheltered  till  the  storm 
was  over." 

"A  house  up  among  such  wild  mountains?"  ques- 
tioned Miss  Lee. 

"Yes;  several  such  houses  have  been  built  along 
the  trail.  They  are  mound-shaped  and  of  stone,  so 
they  stand  firm  through  the  most  terrible  storms." 

"I've  read  stories  about  condors,  those  big  birds 
that  build  their  nests  and  raise  their  babies  among 
[1681 


OVER  THE  MOUNTAINS 

the  cliffs  and  caves  of  the  Andes,"  said  Carlos. 
''Did  you  ever  see  them!" 

"Many  a  time.  Perhaps  if  you  keep  your  eyes 
open,  you  will  catch  a  glimpse  of  condors  flying  over 
a  beautiful  lake.  We  shall  reach  it  soon  after  we 
cross  the  border." 

"Daylight!"  Joe  burst  out  excitedly.  The  boy's 
face  had  been  pressed  against  the  window-pane,  so 
he  was  the  first  to  discover  that  the  train  was  emerg- 
ing from  the  tunnel. 

"And  Chile,  my  homeland!"  said  the  stranger. 


[169] 


PART  III 
TRAVELING  ALONG  THE  SHOE-STRING 


CHAPTER  I 

CBOSSING   THE   SHOE-STBINO- 

WE  are  still  high  up,"  said  Lucy,  as  the  train 
pulled  out  of  the  little  station  at  Caracoles 
and  she  looked  off  over  the  rugged,  lonely  slopes. 

"And  wonders  are  still  spread  before  us,"  said 
Miss  Lee.  l  i  I  never  dreamed  that  rocks  could  have 
such  glorious  colors;  while  the  wild  streams  rush- 
ing down  the  slopes  and  the  water-falls  leaping  over 
the  edges  of  lofty  cliffs  have  at  times  made  me  al- 
most breathless  with  delight. ' ' 

"I'm  glad  to  have  the  highest  peak  of  the  whole 
Andes  for  a  neighbor,"  said  Joe.  "Away  back  in 
New  York  I  never  dreamed  of  ever  seeing  both  the 
King  of  Eivers  and  the  King  of  Mountains.  Aconca- 
gua is  so  grand  it  almost  takes  one's  breath  away  to 
look  at  it.  I'd  like  to  climb  Aconcagua.  I  once  read 
the  story  of  a  party  of  men  who  reached  the  sum- 
mit, though  they  almost  lost  their  lives  in  doing  it. 
They  were  caught  in  a  fearful  gale,  and  were  almost 
frozen  to  death ;  their  provisions  gave  out,  and  they 
were  nearly  starved ;  two  of  the  men  barely  escaped 
falling  over  a  precipice.  But  they  had  their  reward 
when  they  reached  the  top  in  the  glorious  view  they 
had.  Far  to  the  east  were  the  pampas  of  Argentina, 
[173] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

while  to  the  west,  beyond  the  mountains  and  valleys 
of  Chile,  lay  the  big  waters  of  the  Pacific.  And  think ! 
clouds  were  lying  like  blankets  at  their  feet."  Joe 
drew  a  long  breath  at  the  thought  of  the  mighty 
things  to  be  seen  in  this  world. 

"Our  ride  through  the  long  tunnel  seemed  won- 
derful to  me."  Carlos  spoke  quietly  as  if  half  to 
himself.  "I  kept  thinking  of  the  mountain  over  my 
head  and  of  what  that  tunnel  means,  as  well  as  the 
little  ones  we  have  passed  through  also." 

"What  does  it  mean?"  asked  Theresa  curiously. 

"Why,  just  this, — it's  the  patience  and  the  work, 
day  after  day,  and  month  after  month,  of  hundreds 
of  workmen,  as  they  chipped  away  bit  after  bit  of 
the  solid  rock.  Then,  at  last,  a  way  was  opened  up 
so  that  people  can  cross  our  continent  from  the  At- 
lantic to  the  Pacific." 

"It  is  a  big  thought,"  said  Senhor  Vasco.  A  mo- 
ment later,  as  he  turned  to  the  window,  he  said, 
"The  wonders  of  our  journey  are  not  yet  ended. 
Look  quickly,  all  of  you,  at  that  beautiful  lake  nest- 
ling among  the  rocky  ledges.  Its  waters  are  as  clear 
as  crystal." 

"Long  ago,  it  was  loved  by  the  Incas,"  said  the 
gentleman  who  had  talked  with  the  party  before. 
"The  Incas,  as  you  probably  know,  were  Indian 
chiefs  who  ruled  on  our  coast  before  the  white  men 
came.  They  were  perhaps  the  wisest  and  most 
powerful  ones  ever  known  among  the  red  men." 

"I  think  that  strange  man  is  very  nice,"  Theresa 
[174] 


CROSSING  THE  SHOE-STRING 

whispered  to  Lucy,  as  her  father  and  the  stranger 
went  off  together  to  the  smoking-car. 

'  *  He  laughed  when  I  told  him  I  had  always  heard 
Chile  called  the  shoe-string  of  South  America,"  re- 
plied the  little  girl.  ' *  ' Do  you  know  why?'  he  asked. 
I  said,  'Of  course.  It's  because  it  is  so  narrow  and 
stretches  such  a  long  way — from  its  northern  neigh- 
bor, Peru,  down  along  the  whole  length  of  Argen- 
tina, till  it  curls  like  a  kitten's  tail  around  the  bot- 
tom of  Patagonia.'  You  know  I  studied  it  on  the 
big  map  at  Mrs.  Wolfe 's. ' ' 

"After  that  he  asked  if  I  knew  what  the  word 
Chile  meant.  He  smiled  when  I  shook  my  head,  and 
told  me  that  when  the  white  men  first  came  here, 
they  entered  a  valley  called  by  the  Indians  Tchili, 
meaning  beautiful.  They  admired  the  country  about 
them  so  much  that  they  gave  it  the  same  name, 
though  they  spelled  it  in  an  easier  way.  And  The- 
resa !  the  gentleman  went  on  to  say  he  has  a  big  farm 
in  the  beautiful  valley  that  stretches  ever  so  far  up 
and  down  through  Chile,  and  he  would  like  to  have 
us  visit  him!" 

"I  hope  we  can  go,  because  he  is  so  pleasant  and 
you  know  I  just  love  farms,"  was  the  answer. 
* '  Papa  likes  him,  I  'm  sure.  He  says  the  gentleman 's 
name  is  Arnold  and  he  thinks  he  is  an  Englishman." 

"Look  quick,  girls!"  cried  Joe  from  the  seat  be- 
hind. "That  is  a  condor,  I'm  sure." 

The  boy  pointed  to  a  large  black  bird  flying  down- 
ward in  wide  circles  from  the  top  of  a  cliff.  It  had 
doubtless  discovered  some  dead  body,  perhaps  that 
[175] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

of  a  sheep  or  llama  in  the  valley  below,  and  was  on 
its  way  to  feast  on  it. 

1 1  Ugh ! ' '  Joe  went  on.  * '  Chile  can  have  the  con- 
dor for  her  national  bird  if  she  wishes.  But  even 
if  it  does  stand  for  strength  and  bravery,  I  don't  ad- 
mire it,  because  it  makes  one  think  of  vultures. 
When  I  was  at  Para  I  saw  vultures  flying  about  the 
market-place  and  devouring  the  carrion.  The  peo- 
ple there  won't  kill  the  creatures  because  they  help 
to  keep  the  city  healthful.  I  hate  the  thought  of 
them,  just  the  same." 

While  the  children  talked  on,  the  train  had  stopped 
at  several  small  towns  on  the  mountain-slope,  each 
one  looking  greener  and  prettier  than  the  one  above 
it. 

When  the  station  at  the  foot  was  reached,  Senhor 
Vasco  and  his  new  acquaintance  returned  to  the  car, 
where  there  was  already  a  general  commotion,  for 
here  the  narrow-gage  road  ended  and  the  passengers 
must  change  cars. 

"What  dandy  pears  and  plums!"  said  Joe,  look- 
ing longingly  at  a  man  on  the  station  platform  who 
was  busily  selling  the  fruit  to  travelers  as  they  left 
the  train. 

Senhor  Vasco  stopped  to  secure  a  bagful ;  with  this 
to  feast  on,  the  party  entered  a  fine  Pullman  car  of 
the  train  about  to  leave  for  the  journey  across  Chile. 
Not  long  after  it  started  out,  Mr.  Arnold,  who  was 
sitting  with  the  boys,  told  them  he  should  soon  leave 
them,  as  he  was  fast  nearing  his  home.  "But,"  he 
said,  "I  have  made  a  plan  with  Senhor  Vasco  by 
[176] 


CROSSING  THE  SHOE-STRING 

which  I  shall  expect  to  see  you  there  before  many 
days." 

At  these  words,  Joe  and  Carlos  beamed  with  de- 
light. 

As  the  train  rushed  onward,  the  travelers  discov- 
ered that  it  had  a  companion,  also  making  its  way 
toward  the  sea.  It  was  the  Aconcagua  River  that 
rushed  onward  with  sudden  leaps  over  the  rocks  in 
its  pathway,  sometimes  roaring  and  foaming  as  if  in 
anger,  sometimes  singing  a  song  of  merriment. 

When  Mr.  Arnold's  station  was  reached  and  good- 
bys  had  been  said,  the  children  had  time  to  take  no- 
tice of  the  passengers  who  were  left.  Nearby  was  a 
countryman  in  broad-brimmed  hat,  and  with  a  loose 
wrap  called  a  poncho  over  his  shoulders.  Beside  him 
sat  his  wife  with  heavily  powdered  face,  and  his  lit- 
tle daughter  in  holiday  dress,  with  black  eyes  full  of 
joy  at  the  idea  of  a  visit  to  the  big  city. 

"She  is  Spanish,  I'm  sure,"  Theresa  whispered 
to  Lucy. 

"Do  look  at  that  man  in  the  seat  beyond  her," 
was  the  only  reply.  "He  must  be  a  priest,  because 
of  his  beaver  hat  and  the  black  gown  that  reaches 
down  around  his  feet." 

Joe  and  Carlos  were  most  interested  in  a  group 
of  soldiers  in  uniform  at  the  other  end  of  the  car. 

'  *  Every  man  in  Chile,  as  well  as  in  Argentina,  has 

military  training,"   Senhor  Vasco  told  the  boys. 

Then,  turning  to  Miss  Lee,  he  spoke  of  the  different 

peoples  of  the  world  represented  in  the  carj  Eng- 

[177] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

lish,  Germans,  Spanish,  Portuguese,  Indians,  Ameri- 
cans— all  were  there. 

Leaving  the  fertile  valley  behind,  the  train  soon 
entered  a  pass  in  the  coast  range  of  the  Andes.  Once 
on  the  other  side,  it  climbed  down  through  the  hills, 
past  vineyards  and  orange  orchards,  and  fields  where 
the  children  caught  sight  of  rose-bushes  loaded  with 
fragrant  blossoms. 

"  And  morning-glories  too!"  cried  Lucy  in  delight. 
"See,  Theresa!  the  fences  along  the  track  are  cov- 
ered with  them.  They  are  so  near,  I  can  almost 
touch  them  by  reaching  my  arm  out  of  the  window." 

"But  the  air!"  said  Theresa,  taking  a  long  sniff. 
"It  is  soft  and  sweet  with  the  blossoms  and  new- 
mown  hay,  and — everything  nice." 

Not  only  the  flowers,  but  the  fresh  figs  and  oranges 
brought  along  by  the  train-boy,  were  forgotten  when 
the  blue  waters  of  the  ocean  came  into  view.  Then 
Miss  Lee,  as  well  as  Senhor  Vasco,  joined  in  the 
chorus,  "The  Pacific!  The  Pacific!" 

Nearer  and  nearer  it  appeared,  till  the  train  was 
skirting  along  the  coast  of  the  King  of  Oceans.  "We 
shall  soon  reach  Val — paraiso,  or  the  Vale  of  Para- 
dise," now  said  Senhor  Vasco,  "but  I  doubt  if  it  can 
deserve  the  name  as  much  as  the  lovely  country  we 
have  left  behind  us. 

"Aha!  we  are  indeed  near,"  he  said  a  minute 
afterward,  "for  we  must  be  passing  Vina  del  Mar, 
a  place  noted  as  the  beautiful  suburb  of  the  great 
city." 

[178] 


CHAPTER  II 

THE   VALE    OP    PAEADISE 

T  WAS  so  tired  when  we  got  here  last  night,  I 
^  wasn't  much  interested  even  in  this  fine  hotel; 
but  now,  after  a  long  sleep,  I'm  ready  for  anything." 
As  Lucy  spoke,  she  danced  about  the  room  as  lightly 
as  a  fairy. 

"I  was  tired  too,"  said  Joe,  "though  now  I  can 
hardly  wait  to  get  started  on  our  sightseeing.  But 
say,  twin  dear,  isn  't  it  grand  to  get  to  the  other  side 
of  the  wall — without  a  tumble  either  1 ' ' 

4 'The  other  side  of  the — oh,  I  see  what  you  mean." 
Lucy  laughed.  "The  wall  is  the  Andes,  of  course. 
Joe,  just  think !  If  Daddie  and  Mummie  had  wanted 
to  get  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  when  they  were 
as  young  as  we  are,  they  would  have  had  to  sail 
around  the  wicked  Cape  Horn  or  through  the  treach- 
erous Strait  of  Magellan.  Very  likely  they  would 
have  got  drowned — ship-wrecked  at  any  rate.  And 
now  how  easy  it  is  to  cross  over  with  the  Transandine 
railroad's  help!" 

"All  ready,  children!"  called  Miss  Lee. 

"Yes  indeedy!"  came  Joe's  prompt  reply;  and 
he  and  Lucy  hurried  to  join  the  rest  of  the  party  in 
exploring  the  city. 

[179] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"I  should  be  satisfied  to  stay  right  here  to  enjoy 
the  view  from  this  veranda,"  said  Miss  Lee,  as  she 
followed  the  others  outdoors.  She  had  good  reason 
for  her  words :  the  hotel  stood  high  up  on  a  terrace 
of  the  lofty  hillside.  On  the  slope  below  were  other 
terraces  lined  with  homes,  while  far  down  at  the 
base  the  fine  harbor  curved  inward  in  the  shape  of  a 
half-moon.  The  business  part  of  the  city  stretched 
along  a  narrow  strip  of  land  along  the  water 's  edge. 

"I  can  see  boys  playing  down  there,"  said  Joe, 
pointing  toward  the  edge  of  a  sharp  cliff  below.  "I 
suppose  that  tumble-down  shack  behind  them  is  their 
home.  They  ought  to  have  practice  enough  climbing 
about  among  the  rocks  to  become  good  mountain 
climbers." 

1  *  If  you  can  tear  yourself  away  from  this  view, ' ' 
Senhor  Vasco  said  laughingly  to  Miss  Lee,  "I  will 
promise  you  something  still  better  which  I  dis- 
covered in  an  early  walk  before  breakfast." 

When  their  kind  guide  had  led  the  sightseers  to 
an  open  space  beyond  the  hotel  and  they  were  able 
to  see,  not  only  the  great  ocean  at  their  feet,  but  the 
snowclad  summits  of  the  Andes  in  the  distant  east, 
they  became  silent  with  wonder.  Carlos  was  the  first 
to  speak.  "It  makes  me  feel  small,"  he  said  in  a 
low  voice,  "to  stand  before  the  greatness  of  God's 
works." 

Before  leaving  the  place,  Senhor  Vasco  discovered 
what  he  thought  must  be  Aconcagua;  it  towered 
above  all  the  peaks  around  it,  and  as  it  was  a  clear 
[180] 


THE  VALE  OF  PARADISE 

day,  the  Senhor  knew  it  was  quite  possible  to  see 
it,  though  it  was  far  distant. 

As  the  travelers  walked  on  they  met  a  man  leading 
a  cow,  and  a  donkey  with  its  baby  jumping  along  at 
its  side  in  the  most  laughable  way.  Its  master  was 
calling  out  some  words  in  Spanish  which  were  so 
much  like  Portuguese  that  the  children  understood 
at  once.  ' '  He 's  calling '  Donkeys '  and  cows '  milk ! '  " 
said  Theresa,  laughing. 

"How  funny!  I  didn't  know  people  ever  drank 
donkeys'  milk,"  said  Lucy.  "Look!  a  woman  has 
just  called  to  the  man  from  the  house  across  the 
street,  and  he  has  led  the  animals  right  up  to  her 
door." 

"He's  started  milking  the  cow,"  said  Joe.  "No 
danger  but  what  that  milk  will  be  fresh  enough. ' ' 

"There's  another  man  with  a  donkey,"  said 
Theresa.  ' '  The  poor  beastie  is  loaded  with  panniers 
full  of  vegetables.  I  s  'pose  the  man  is  peddling  them 
from  door  to  door." 

"Notice  those  two  ladies  ahead  of  us,"  said  Joe, 
turning  around  and  speaking  in  a  low  tone.  ' '  They 
look  a  little  like  nuns  in  those  hoods  and  long  black 
capes." 

"They  are  wearing  the  national  dress  of  Chilean 
women,"  explained  Senhor  Vasco.  "As  we  go  on 
our  way,  we  shall  doubtless  see  more  of  them  in  the 
same  kind  of  garments. ' ' 

At  one  place  in  their  walk,  the  party  came  so  near 
the  edge  of  a  sharp  cliff  that  the  boys  pretended  they 
were  going  to  jump  off. 

[181] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"Don't,  don't!"  cried  the  little  girls,  and  even 
Miss  Lee  said,  *  *  Do  be  careful. ' '  But  Senhor  Vasco 
only  laughed. 

' '  Never  fear ! "  he  said.  '  *  You  may  trust  Joe  and 
Carlos  to  take  care  of  themselves." 

"I'll  tell  you  what!"  cried  Joe.  "When  we  get 
ready  to  visit  the  streets  below  us,  where  all  the  busi- 
ness is  done,  Carlos  and  I  will  go  down  the  crooked 
roads  by  'shank's  mare.'  The  rest  of  you  can  take 
one  of  the  ascensors,  as  the  people  here  call  those 
queer  elevators." 

"Let  us  go  with  the  boys,"  pleaded  Lucy;  but 
both  Senhor  Vasco  and  Miss  Lee  said,  "No,"  de- 
cidedly. 

The  upshot  of  it  was  that  Joe  and  Carlos  met  the 
others  at  the  foot  of  the  ascensor  agreed  upon,  with 
dusty  shoes  and  perspiring  faces,  but  happy  from 
what  had  seemed  to  them  a  good  frolic. 

"We  passed  two  or  three  horses  carrying  up  heavy 
loads,"  said  Joe,  when  he  had  got  his  breath,  "and 
their  drivers  were  beating  the  poor  beasts  so  cruelly, 
I  wanted  to  thrash  them." 

"Joe  stumped  me  to  run  a  part  of  the  way,"  added 
Carlos.  "He  said  I  was  too  dignified,  and  so" — he 
laughed — "I  had  a  tumble  and  a  tear." 

He  pointed  to  a  trouser  leg  of  his  white  suit,  the 
sorry  sight  of  which  made  Miss  Lee  look  doleful  for 
a  moment.  "Oh  dear!"  she  said.  "I  had  four 
snow-white  birds  to  fly  along  at  my  side  when  we 
started,  and  now " 

"Two  of  them  have  apparently  decided  to  change 
[182] 


THE  VALE  OF  PARADISE 

into  ravens,"  said  Senhor  Vasco  cheerily.  " Don't 
mind,  Miss  Lee,  we  can  have  just  as  good  a  time, 
whatever  the  color  of  the  raiment." 

"This  city  seems  almost  North  American,"  said 
Lucy,  as  they  walked  along.  ' '  Paved  streets,  electric 
lights,  newsboys  shouting,  and  signs  with  English 
names  over  many  of  the  stores ! ' ' 

"It  is  rather  English  than  American,"  replied 
Senhor  Vasco,  who  was  walking  beside  her.  ' '  There 
are  a  great  many  Englishmen  doing  business  in  Val- 
paraiso— so  many  of  them,  that  nearly  every  one 
here  can  speak  English,  and  the  dress  of  a  large 
number  of  ladies  is  in  the  English  style." 

"Yet  there  are  many  queer  sights,"  said  Carlos. 
"For  instance,  cows  and  donkeys  going  along  the 
streets  to  be  milked,  and  chicken  pedlers  carrying 
cratefuls  of  live  fowls." 

"And  such  odd  cars,"  broke  in  Theresa. 

"They  are  double-decked,"  cried  Joe,  coming  up 
with  the  rest  of  the  party. 

"The  conductors  are  women,"  said  Carlos,  much 
amused.  ' '  I  suppose  their  blue  suits  and  sailor  hats 
make  their  uniforms." 

"Suppose  we  take  a  short  car  ride,"  proposed  Sen- 
hor Vasco.  "Shall  we  have  seats  inside  or  on  the 
roof!" 

All  agreed  that  the  best  way  to  see  the  city  was 
to  sit  up  high,  and  when  a  car  had  been  stopped  and 
they  had  climbed  the  narrow  stairs  to  the  roof,  they 
were  in  a  merry  mood. 

"A  penny  apiece  for  every  one  up  here,"  said 
[183] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

Sennor  Vasco  after  paying  the  fares.  "And  two 
downstairs,"  he  added.  "That  is  the  cheapest  price 
for  a  ride  I  ever  heard  of." 

And  now  the  sightseers  were  busy,  first  turning 
their  eyes  out  toward  the  beautiful  bay  with  the 
ships  of  many  nations  anchored  there;  and  again 
looking  at  the  city,  with  its  hustling  people,  its  stores 
and  business  blocks. 

"Valparaiso  was  once  destroyed  by  an  earth- 
quake." These  words  came  from  an  English  gentle- 
man sitting  with  his  son  close  to  the  twins. 

Lucy's  face  puckered  at  what  she  heard.  She 
had  not  forgotten  her  feeling  at  Mendoza  that  the 
earth  might  swallow  her  up  at  any  moment.  Be- 
sides, she  was  hoping  that  Theresa  did  not  hear. 

"The  people  often  feel  little  quakes,"  the  gentle- 
man went  on,  "which  make  them  dizzy  and  light- 
headed for  a  moment  or  two.  But  the  shock  of  1906 
was  a  different  matter.  It  happened  only  four 
months  after  the  great  city  of  San  Francisco  in  the 
United  States  was  almost  destroyed  by  an  earth- 
quake. Odd,  wasn  't  it — San  Francisco  has  the  finest 
harbor  on  this  side  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  Val- 
paraiso has  the  next  finest  one." 

"I'd  like  to  feel  a  little  quake,"  Joe  whispered  to 
his  sister.  "It  would  be  one  more  experience  to 
tell  about  when  we  get  home. ' ' 

' '  I  wouldn  't — I  'd  just  be  scared.    But  listen,  Joe. ' ' 

The  strange  gentleman  had  begun  to  describe  the 
great  earthquake.  "It  was  early  evening,"  he  said, 
"after  a  beautiful  day,  when  suddenly  the  whole 
[184] 


THE  VALE  OF  PARADISE 

city  began  to  swing  back  and  forth.  Then  came 
such  a  terrific  jolt,  that  building  after  building  fell 
crashing  to  the  ground.  Water-pipes  burst,  and  the 
electric  light  wires  broke  apart;  the  screams  of  in- 
jured people  rang  out  through  the  darkness;  fires 
sprang  up  here  and  there,  and  the  whole  city  was 
soon  ablaze.  When  morning  came,  nearly  the  whole 
of  the  lower  town  had  been  destroyed. ' ' 

''Were  the  ships  in  the  harbor  destroyed?"  asked 
Joe,  suddenly  leaning  over  toward  the  story-teller. 

The  gentleman  smiled  at  the  young  stranger's  in- 
terest. * '  No,  my  little  friend, ' '  he  answered.  '  *  Odd 
as  it  may  seem,  the  water  had  been  little  disturbed. 
I  have  seen  times  myself,  however,  when  terrific 
storms  have  done  great  damage  to  the  shipping  in 
this  harbor." 

"We  are  going  out  in  a  launch  this  afternoon," 
volunteered  Joe,  who  was  always  ready  to  make  new 
acquaintances. 

"I  am  going  to  take  my  son  for  a  boat-ride  also," 
said  the  stranger  pleasantly.  "Perhaps  we  will 
meet  again." 

"Senhor  Vasco  is  motioning  to  us,"  whispered 
Lucy.  "I  guess  we  are  to  get  out  at  the  next 
corner. ' ' 

As  the  children  left  the  car,  their  quick  ears  caught 
the  sound  of  a  fire  alarm. 

"Senhor  Vasco,  let's  go  to  the  fire.  Please," 
begged  Joe,  as  a  crowd  of  excited  people  rushed  past 
them  down  the  street. 

"But  Miss  Lee  and  the  little  girls!" 
[185] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"We  will  step  inside  that  drug-store  and  wait 
for  you,"  proposed  the  young  girl. 

The  next  minute,  Carlos  and  Joe,  with  hands 
clutching  Senhor  Vasco's,  were  hurrying  with  him 
down  the  street. 

When  they  returned  a  half -hour  later  they  were 
laughing  gaily. 

"It  was  great  sport,"  explained  Joe,  "seeing  the 
firemen  fight  the  flames.  A  procession  of  them  had 
arrived  just  ahead  of  us.  They  wore  big  helmets 
and  seemed  as  happy  as  could  be  smashing  windows 
and  playing  hose  lines.  I  wished  I  could  join  in." 

"Father  had  to  hold  Joe  back,"  said  Carlos,  his 
black  eyes  shining  with  merriment.  "But  the  ex- 
citement didn't  last  long;  there  were  so  many  firemen 
and  they  worked  so  fast  that  the  fire  was  quickly 
put  out." 

"It  seems,"  said  Senhor  Va«co,  "that  there  is  no 
fire  department  such  as  we  are  used  to.  A  large 
number  of  men  in  the  city — hundreds  of  them — have 
formed  a  club  for  fighting  fires,  which  are  rarely  big 
in  this  city,  as  there  are  few  high  buildings.  When 
an  alarm  is  given,  they  rush  away  from  their  places 
of  business  to  have  a  little  pleasant  excitement  in 
fire-fighting. '  * 

"And  now  what  are  we  to  do?"  asked  Theresa, 
patting  her  father's  hand. 

"Have  lunch  at  yonder  restaurant;  then  take  our 
first  ride  on  the  Pacific. ' ' 

This  proposal  pleased  every  one.  The  lunch  was 
eaten  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  the  party  made 
[186] 


THE  VALE  OF  PARADISE 

their  way  down  to  a  pier  in  search  of  a  steam  launch 
that  should  take  them  around  the  bay. 

Close  to  the  shore  all  was  bustle  and  confusion,  as 
loads  were  being  brought  to  and  from  the  ships. 

11  Those  big-wheeled,  creaking  carts  are  clumsy 
looking  things,"  Lucy  said  to  Miss  Lee.  "We  see 
them  everywhere.  It  seems  queer  for  the  driver  to 
sit  astride  one  horse  at  the  side  of  the  others,  and 
all  three  fastened  to  the  cart. ' ' 

"I  wish  the  drivers  could  be  beaten  instead  of  the 
animals, ' '  replied  the  young  girl.  * '  They  treat  their 
horses  cruelly.  There !  did  you  see  that  fellow  lash 
the  poor  creatures  struggling  their  best  to  draw  their 
load?" 

"He'd  be  arrested  in  New  York,"  declared  Joe, 
who  had  heard  Miss  Lee's  last  words. 

As  the  sightseers  went  out  on  the  pier  to  engage 
passage  on  a  launch,  whom  should  they  find  but  the 
Englishman  and  his  son  with  whom  Joe  had  talked 
in  the  morning. 

The  gentleman  nodded  pleasantly  to  the  twins  and 
afterward,  when  he  found  Senhor  Vasco  and  his 
party  seated  close  by,  he  spoke  to  him.  "My  boy 
and  I,"  he  said,  "enjoy  being  in  Valparaiso  all  the 
more  because  in  my  desert  home  in  northern  Chile 
it  is  our  business  to  dislike  water.  The  smallest  rain- 
storm is  unfortunate  there." 

Joe  looked  at  his  sister  in  astonishment,  but  Sen- 
hor Vasco  seemed  to  understand. 

"Of  course,  of  course,"  he  said.  "You  must  live 
in  the  nitrate  desert." 

[187] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"Yes,  at  Iquique,  the  chief  nitrate  port  of  the 
world.  The  desert  stretches  all  about  us;  we  have 
not  seen  a  rainfall  there  in  years. ' ' 

''But  why,'*  Joe  asked  the  English  lad  who  had 
nodded  sociably  on  finding  him  at  his  side,  "don't 
you  want  rain  to  fall  up  there?  Excuse  me,  but  it 
must  be  a  dreary  place  to  live  in. ' ' 

"It  is  dreary,  but  we  get  used  to  being  without 
trees  and  flowers,  and  not  even  a  blade  of  grass  in 
sight.  We  love  the  ocean  all  the  more,  perhaps. 
You  see,  rain  would  injure  the  nitrate  of  soda  which 
lies  in  big  beds  under  the  sands  for  miles  and  miles. 
Almost  every  workman  in  the  country  back  of 
Iquique  is  busy  digging  up  the  nitrate;  immense 
quantities  of  it  are  sent  to  the  United  States  and 
Europe." 

"I'm  an  American  boy;  yet  I  never  heard  before 
about  your  nitrate  desert, ' '  said  Joe,  rather  ashamed 
of  his  ignorance. 

"But  what  is  this  nitrate?  How  did  it  come 
there  ? ' '  asked  Lucy,  who  could  keep  silent  no  longer. 

"It's  a  kind  of  salt,  but  nobody  knows  just  how  it 
got  there.  Some  people  think  there  was  once  an 
inland  sea  where  there  were  quantities  of  seaweed, 
and  that  this  rotted  in  time,  and  in  the  hot,  dry  air, 
changed  into  nitrate  of  soda. ' ' 

"Is  it  on  top  of  the  ground  so  it  is  easy  to  get  it?" 
asked  Carlos,  who  had  changed  his  seat  to  one  nearer 
the  English  lad. 

"Not  very.  It  lies  under  layers  of  rock  and  sand. 
A  small  hole  has  to  be  dug  away  down  underneath. 
[188] 


THE  VALE  OF  PARADISE 

Then  a  small  boy  with  a  fuse  is  let  down  into  the 
.hole  in  the  bottom  of  which  he  leaves  the  fuse.  After 
he  has  been  drawn  up,  the  fuse  is  lighted.  Then 
whiff!  bang!  come  sand  and  pieces  of  rock  and  the 
way  is  opened  up  for  the  digging. 

* '  My  father  owns  a  big  stretch  of  nitrate  beds ;  he 
has  an  easy  time  managing  the  business  and  tending 
to  the  shipping  of  the  nitrate,"  the  boy  went  on, 
"but  the  poor  workmen  have  a  hard  life.  Some- 
times I  feel  sorry  for  their  children  because  they 
have  to  live  in  the  desert  all  the  time,  while  I  can 
travel  about  with  Mother  or  Father  whenever  we 
wish." 

"I  think  he's  a  very  nice  boy,"  Lucy  whispered  to 
Theresa,  when  Joe  and  Carlos  had  gone  on  to  talk 
with  the  strange  lad  about  their  favorite  sports. 
" Pie  isn't  stuck  up  a  bit." 

"Stuck  up?"  Theresa's  pretty  eyes  looked  puz- 
zled. 

Lucy  giggled.  ' '  That 's  American  slang, ' '  she  ex- 
plained, "for  acting  as  if  you  thought  yourself  better 
than  most  people.  Mummie  says  that  ladies  should 
not  use  slang.  So  I  s'pose  I  wasn't  very  nice  to  do 
it." 

All  the  time  Lucy  was  speaking,  the  dimples  were 
trying  to  show  themselves.  Theresa  had  looked  so 
serious,  it  made  her  want  to  laugh. 

"Lucy,  Lucy,"  interrupted  Joe,  "while  you  were 
talking  to  Theresa,  we  passed  two  ships  with  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  flying  from  the  mastheads.    And 
you  didn  't  salute !     Shame  on  you ! ' ' 
[189] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"My  own  flag  of  Chile  is  also  flying  among  the 
many  belonging  to  other  nations.  Is  it  not  a  beauti- 
ful one?"  said  the  English  lad,  catching  Joe's  words. 
"It  speaks  of  the  brave  men  who  died  that  the 
country  should  be  free  from  the  yoke  of  Spain.  ' ' 

"It  is  a  pretty  one,"  said  Joe,  looking  critically 
at  Chile's  flying  colors.  "I  like  it  because  it  has  the 
same  colors  as  ours.  But  it  has  one  star,  while  ours 
has  as  many  as  there  are  States  in  the  Union." 

"Far  out  in  the  ocean  beyond  us,  many  miles  from 
shore,"  said  the  English  gentleman,  "lies  one  of  the 
most  famous  islands  in  the  world." 

"What  can  it  be?"  asked  one  child  after  another, 
as  they  caught  the  words — all  except  the  English  lad, 
who  looked  as  if  he  would  say,  "I  know." 

1 '  This  island  is  not  famous  for  any  product — one 
side,  in  fact,  is  a  desert  of  rocks  and  sand,"  the 
gentleman  went  on.  "On  the  other  side  you  may 
find  some  fruit  trees,  and  scanty  grass  on  which  wild 
sheep  and  goats  are  feeding.  I  once  sailed  to  the 
island  with  some  fishermen  who  were  going  there  to 
get  lobsters  that  are  plentiful  along  its  shores.  But 
the  fame  of  this  island,  which  is  world-wide,  is  not 
due  to  a  few  wild  goats  and  lobsters.  You  all  have 
read  a  great  deal  about  it,  I  feel  sure. ' ' 

Miss  Lee,  as  well  as  her  charges,  looked  puzzled. 

"I  wonder" — the  gentleman  went  on  with  a  smile 
— "if  you  ever  heard  the  lines, 

Poor  old  Robinson  Crusoe !  Poor  old  Robinson  Crusoe ! 
They  made  him  a  coat  of  an  old  nanny-goat — " 
[190] 


THE  VALE  OF  PARADISE 

"I  know  I  I  know!"  cried  Joe.  "It's  the  island 
where  Robinson  Crusoe  lived  and  had  so  many  ad- 
ventures." 

"It's  the  island,"  the  gentleman  said  slowly, 
"where  Alexander  Selkirk  was  shipwrecked  and 
lived  his  lonely  life.  At  last,  after  four  years,  a 
passing  ship  discovered  his  watch-fire,  and  sailors 
were  sent  ashore  to  find  a  strange-looking  man  clad 
in  the  skins  of  goats  and  running  wildly  about  as  if 
he  had  almost  lost  his  mind.  Selkirk  was  carried  to 
England,  where  he  was  made  a  hero.  People  came 
in  flocks  to  look  upon  one  who  had  lived  so  strangely 
and  borne  so  much. ' ' 

' '  Oh-h ! ' '  Joe,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  the  children, 
was  disappointed.  "I  hoped  it  was  the  real  home 
of  Eobinson  Crusoe." 

"It  was,  my  dear  boy,  so  far  as  Robinson  Crusoe 
was  himself  real.  Defoe,  the  writer  of  the  book  we 
love  so  much,  made  the  adventures  of  Selkirk  on  that 
very  island,  Juan  Fernandez,  the  groundwork  of  his 
story." 

"Father,  won't  you  now  tell  the  folks  about  Eas- 
ter Island?"  The  English  lad  seemed  proud  that 
there  was  so  much  of  interest  off  the  coast  of  his 
country. 

"Easter  Island  is  indeed  remarkable,"  the  story- 
teller went  on.  "It  lies  still  farther  out  in  the  ocean 
and  northwest  of  us,  and  was  not  explored  till  1722. 
Yet  on  that  dot  of  earth  in  the  Pacific  are  wonderful 
monuments  and  statues,  and  carvings  on  gigantic 
stones,  that  show  a  great  and  wise  people  must  once 
[191] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

have  lived  there.  They  may  have  been  giants ;  their 
home  may  be  the  remains  of  a  continent  now  lying  at 
the  bottom  of  the  ocean ;  no  one  knows  or  ever  will 
know  what  kind  of  children  played  along  the  shore 
or  watched  their  fathers  carving  the  mighty  rocks. ' ' 

As  the  gentleman  ended,  he  looked  down  at  The- 
resa's dreamy  face.  The  little  girl  was  wondering 
about  those  boys  and  girls  who  lived  so  long  ago 
that  no  one  knew  anything  about  them. 

In  the  meantime,  the  launch  had  been  steaming 
around  the  pretty  harbor,  and  giving  the  passengers 
a  good  view  of  the  city  rising  up  out  of  the  water. 

"Do  you  know  how  late  it  is  getting?"  suddenly 
asked  Senhor  Vasco  as  he  looked  at  his  watch. 

"It  must  be  near  supper-time,"  said  Carlos.  "I'm 
hungry." 

"The  lights  are  beginning  to  shine  in  the  lower 
town, ' '  said  Joe.  ' '  Yes,  and  they  are  coming  out  like 
stars  on  the  slopes  above.  There  are  also  long  lines 
of  lights  moving  up  the  hillside.  How  pretty  it 
looks!" 

"The  lights  must  come  from  the  ascensors  as  they 
travel  up  and  down,"  said  Miss  Lee. 

"More  and  more  lights!"  exclaimed  Lucy.  "I'm 
glad  we  stayed  out  long  enough  to  see  the  city  in  the 
evening. ' ' 

"And  I,"  echoed  Theresa.  "But  I'm  glad  the 
launch  is  taking  us  in.  I'm  tired  and  sleepy — and 
hungry  as  Carlos." 


[192] 


CHAPTER  III 

UNDER  THE  OCEAN 

T  WONDER  what  we'll  do  to-day,"  Carlos  said  to 
-*-  Joe.  The  two  boys' were  taking  a  short  prome- 
nade in  front  of  the  hotel.  ^ 

"It's  a  heap  of  fun  for  your  father  to  keep  sur- 
prising us — we  don't  know  from  day  to  day  what  is 
coming  next."  Joe  chuckled.  " Maybe  we'll  go  to 
Mr.  Arnold's  country  home." 

Just  then  Miss  Lee  and  the  little  girls  came  rapid- 
ly toward  the  boys  from  the  direction  of  the  hotel. 

"Senhor  Vasco  is  waiting  to  go  with  us  to  break- 
fast, ' '  said  the  young  girl  as  she  drew  near.  ' '  There 
is  no  time  to  lose  if  we  are  to  take  a  trolley  ride 
to  Vina  del  Mar  and  then  come  back  to  start  out  on 
an  ocean  trip. ' ' 

"Hurrah!"  cried  Joe,  and  though  Carlos  said 
nothing  he  looked  as  pleased  as  his  young  friend. 

There  was  no  loitering  at  breakfast  that  morning ; 
and  every  one  was  in  gay  spirits  when  all  were 
seated  in  the  trolley  car  on  the  way  to  the  charming 
suburb  of  Valparaiso.  The  fresh  air,  neither  too 
hot  nor  too  cold,  blew  pleasantly;  the  sky  had 
scarcely  a  cloud,  and  the  orchards  and  gardens  on 
the  way  looked  so  tempting  that  Joe  declared  he 
would  like  to  jump  out  and  land  in  their  midst. 
[193] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"Once  upon  a  time,"  Senhor  Vasco  told  the  chil- 
dren, "the  people  of  Chile,  as  well  as  Brazil,  en- 
joyed bull  and  cock  fights.  But  these  cruel  sports 
have  passed  by.  At  Vina  del  Mar  the  horse-races 
furnish  the  principal  excitement.  The  boys  and 
girls,  however,  as  well  as  the  older  folk,  pass  many 
gay  hours  playing  golf,  tennis  and  polo,  as  well  as 
in  taking  long  drives. ' ' 

"There  are  so  many  beautiful  houses  here,"  re- 
marked Miss  Lee,  "that  many  rich  people  must 
spend  their  summers  at  this  resort. ' ' 

"Do  you  see  that  fine  tennis  court?"  Joe  asked 
Carlos  as  the  car  brought  them  near  the  heart  of  the 
town.  "I  believe  I'd  rather  have  a  game  of  polo, 
though.  What  do  you  say?" 

Carlos,  who  was  lazily  enjoying  the  sight  of  the 
beautiful  horses  and  the  carriages  filled  with  richly 
dressed  people  that  were  passing,  declared  that  he 
was  perfectly  contented  where  he  was. 

On  the  way  back  to  Valparaiso  he  began  to  be 
talkative  and  told  the  other  children  about  the  com- 
ing of  the  white  men  to  Chile ;  he  had  read  about  it 
at  school. 

"Ever  so  long  ago,"  he  said,  "the  great  Spaniard, 
Pizarro,  who  conquered  Peru  with  its  rich  mines,  got 
dissatisfied.  He  wanted  to  be  still  more  powerful. 
So  he  said  to  one  of  his  lieutenants,  'I  want  you  to 
explore  the  country  south  of  us  and  seize  it  in  the 
name  of  our  Spanish  king.' 

"So  Diego  de  Almagro — that  was  the  man's  name 
— crossed  the  nitrate  desert  and  traveled  south  till 
[194] 


UNDER  THE  OCEAN 

he  met  great  numbers  of  fierce  Indian  warriors  who 
drove  them  back  into  Peru. 

"A  few  years  after  that,  another  Spaniard,  Cap- 
tain Valdivia,  entered  Chile  with  a  bold  band.  There 
was  hot  fighting  with  the  red  men.  Valdivia  man- 
aged to  get  as  far  south  as  Santiago  and  founded  the 
city.  There  he  kept  his  hold,  though  the  Indians 
made  one  attack  after  another.  Between  the  cruelty 
of  the  white  men  and  the  brave  deeds  of  the  savages, 
those  were  exciting  days." 

"The  savages,  of  whom  Carlos  has  been  telling 
you,"  interrupted  Senhor  Vasco,  "were  the  famous 
Araucanians.  I  hope  to  visit  one  of  their  settle- 
ments while  we  are  in  Chile.  I  believe  few  nobler 
Indians  ever  lived.  Now  please  go  on,  Carlos." 

"At  last,  the  Spaniards  came  to  terms,"  continued 
the  boy.  "The  land  north  of  a  certain  river " 

"The  Biobio,"  helped  out  Senhor  Vasco. 

1 1  Yes,  that  was  it,  Father — anyway,  the  Spaniards' 
were  to  hold  all  Chile  as  far  down  as  that,  while  the 
natives  were  to  own  all  the  country  south  of  it.  But 
there  was  one  condition — the  Indians  had  to  prom- 
ise to  fight  against  the  English  and  Dutch  who  had 
begun  to  appear  on  the  coast." 

"Well?"  said  Senhor  Vasco,  for  Carlos  was  at  a 
standstill. 

"Won't  you  go  on?  I  don't  remember  the  rest 
very  clearly." 

"Very  well."  Senhor  Vasco  smiled.  "As  years 
went  by,  there  were  fresh  troubles — not  with  the 
Indians,  but  among  the  Spaniards  themselves,  who 
[195] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

suffered  under  the  hard  rule  of  Spain.  We  can  imag- 
ine troops  of  soldiers  sent  by  the  king  to  put  down 
his  rebel  subjects.  In  vain!  Matters  only  grew 
worse.  At  last,  however,  after  a  fierce  battle  in 
1818,  Chile  was  able  to  say,  'I  am  a  free  republic.' 
Who  do  you  children  suppose  won  that  battle  and 
gave  the  country  her  freedom?" 

"Not  San  Martin,  who  freed  Argentina?"  asked 
Joe  instantly. 

"That  very  man.  Shortly  afterward,  a  brave 
patriot,  and  as  it  happened,  an  Irishman,  was  chosen 
to  be  Chile's  first  President.  His  name  was  Gen- 
eral .O'Higgins,  and  he  governed  the  country  wisely. 
Chile 's  troubles  were  not  yet  over,  however.  There 
was  a  war  with  Spain,  another  one  with  Peru,  and 
some  differences  with  Bolivia  and  Argentina.  But 
the  Chileans  are  brave,  and  devoted  to  their  country. 
They  are  of  good  stock,  for  their  ancestors  came 
mostly  from  the  northern  part  of  Spain,  and  some 
of  them  married  among  the  strong1,  work-loving 
Araucanian  Indians.  So  they  have  stood  their 
ground,  and  now  this  country  is  a  very  important 
one." 

"Father  told  me,"  said  Lucy  thoughtfully,  "that 
Argentina,  Brazil,  and  Chile  are  called  the  ABC 
countries.  I  didn't  understand  why,  till  he  pointed 
out  the  letters  with  which  their  names  begin." 

Senhor  Vasco  nodded.  "Yes;  and  as  A  B  C  are 
the  first  letters  of  the  alphabet,  so  Argentina,  Brazil, 
and  Chile  are  the  leading  countries  in  South  Amer- 
ica." 

[196] 


UNDER  THE  OCEAN 

"Here  we  are  back  again  in  Valparaiso,"  said 
Carlos  suddenly. 

"And  we  must  get  out  at  the  next  stop,  hasten  to 
the  hotel,  get  dinner  and  be  off  on  our  wanderings, ' ' 
added  his  father. 

Two  hours  afterward  the  party  was  seated  on  the 
upper  deck  of  a  coast  steamer  sailing  out  of  the 
harbor  of  Valparaiso. 

There  was  not  much  excitement  on  the  trip  south ; 
the  coast  was  little  broken,  the  breezes  soft,  and  the 
waters  smooth. 

"This  sail  gives  us  a  chance  to  get  rested,"  Miss 
Lee  told  the  children,  who  were  happy  in  simply 
being  on  the  water.  Before  they  had  time  to  become 
restless,  they  sailed  into  a  fine  bay,  on  one  side  of 
which  stood  the  mining  town  of  Lota. 

"There's  a  whaler,  as  I'm  alive!"  declared  Joe, 
calling  the  other  children  around  him.  "It's  a  regu- 
lar old  veteran!  I  bet  it's  seen  some  storms  on  its 
way  down  to  the  Antarctic!" 

"How  would  you  like  a  trip  on  that  ship  to  the 
Strait  of  Magellan — or  say,  around  Cape  Horn?" 
asked  Senhor  Vasco,  coming  up  just  then. 

"Of  course,  it  would  be  a  great  adventure."  Joe 
spoke  more  slowly  than  usual.  "Sometime  I'd  like 
to  go,  but  just  now " 

"You'd  rather  stay  with  us,"  suggested  Carlos. 

"Yes,  because  I'd  miss  the  surprises  your  father 
has  in  store  for  us." 

"It's  about  time  to  hear  about  the  next  one,"  said 
Theresa,  patting  her  father's  shoulder. 
[197] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"Do  you  see  that  coal  steamer  bound  for  Eu- 
rope ? ' '  was  his  only  answer. 

"Yes,'*  came  a  chorus  of  voices,  followed  by 
Joe's:  "That  ocean  steamer  with  coal  barges  drawn 
up  beside  it,  can't  have  anything  to  do  with  our  next 
adventure." 

"It  has  a  great  deal.  It  makes  us  think  that  there 
must  be  rich  coal  mines  along  this  shore,  else  a 
sieamer  from  distant  Germany  would  not  be  loading 
here.  In  the  next  place,  it  makes  us  consider  a  visit 
to  one  of  these  mines,  which  will  be  different  from 
such  visits  elsewhere. ' ' 

"Howl    How?"  cried  one  after  another. 

"It  reaches  down  under  the  ocean,  so  that  if  we 
wish  to  go  through  it,  we  shall  have  the  Pacific  for 
our  roof." 

"That  would  be  a  great  adventure,  Senhor  Vasco. 
Can't  we  go!  "Will  you  take  us  there?"  Joe  piled 
one  question  on  another. 

' '  That 's  why  I  brought  you  here. ' '  The  kind  gen- 
tleman looked  as  pleased  as  the  children.  "We  will 
spend  a  day  or  two  at  Lota  a  few  miles  from  here ; 
while  there,  we  can  travel  into  the  strange  under- 
ocean  world  of  the  miners." 

To  the  eager  children,  time  now  seemed  to  drag 
till  they  had  landed,  got  settled  at  a  comfortable 
hotel  at  the  mining  town  of  Lota,  and  had  made  their 
plans  for  a  visit  to  a!  neighboring  mine. 

All  started  for  the  mine  in  great  glee,  but  when 
they  reached  the  big  buildings  at  its  entrance,  Lucy 
and  Theresa  began  to  feel  a  little  shaky — they  heard 
[198] 


UNDER  THE  OCEAN 

strange  noises  and  could  not  see  where  they  came 
from.  The  manager  smiled  at  the  bright,  timid  faces 
and  said,  "If  you  will  come  with  me  you  shall  see 
how  the  coal  is  lifted  up  from  its  dark  bed." 

He  led  the  way  to  a  big  well,  up  which,  by  means 
of  pulleys  and  a  steam-engine,  heavily  laden  cars  on 
elevators  were  being  raised  to  the  surface. 

"May  we  visit  the  mine?"  asked  Senhor  Vasco. 

"Certainly,"  said  the  manager.  "You  can  enter 
one  of  the  elevators  about  to  go  down. ' ' 

The  boys  lost  no  time  in  entering;  the  little  girls 
followed  with  hands  held  tightly  by  their  elders. 
Down,  down,  they  dropped  through  the  dark  well 
till  the  elevator  began  to  slow  up  as  it  approached  a 
tunnel,  in  which  long  rows  of  electric  lights  broke 
the  darkness. 

"We  get  out  here,"  said  the  man  whom  the  man- 
ager had  directed  to  guide  the  party.  "We  will 
change,"  he  added,  "to  yonder  train  about  to  run 
out  to  the  mines.  A  special  car  will  be  hitched  on 
for  us." 

The  sightseers  were  soon  settled  on  the  platform 
of  the  car  and  moving  fast  along  the  underground 
and  underwater  track.  Here  and  there  they  passed 
openings  into  tunnels  which  led  to  other  parts  of 
the  mine.  Joe  was  brimming  over  with  delight  over 
this  new  experience.  "Big  steamers  sailing  over 
our  heads,"  he  cried,  "and  the  Pacific  pressing  down 
on  the  rocky  roof — the  only  thing  between  the  big 
waters  and  ourselves!" 

Lucy  and  Theresa  had  already  begun  to  feel 
[199] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

scared  at  the  strangeness  of  all  around  them,  but 
at  Joe's  words  they  began  to  shiver. 

"Suppose,"  said  Theresa,  "the  jar  of  the  train 
makes  the  roof  of  the  tunnel  tumble  in  and  we  are 
all  drowned. ' ' 

"Never  fear,  little  daughter,"  said  Senhor  Vasco 
comfortingly.  "The  roof  over  our  heads  is  a  bed 
of  solid  stone.  Look  up  and  see  how  dry  it  is. — not 
a  drop  of  water  can  push  its  way  through. ' ' 

Other  trains  passed  the  one  which  bore  the  sight- 
seers— trains  loaded  with  coal.  Here  and  there  the 
children  caught  glimpses  of  dirty,  nearly  naked  min- 
ers digging  coal  in  the  side  tunnels. 

Suddenly  every  one  started  at  the  sound  of  an 
explosion. 

"What's  that?"  cried  Miss  Lee. 

"There  is  blasting  not  far  away,"  explained  the 
guide.  He  added,  "You  are  safe." 

Though  all  were  glad  to  visit  a  coal  mine  stretch- 
ing under  the  ocean,  yet  they  were  perfectly  satisfied 
when  the  time  came  to  turn  about. 

"How  beautiful  the  sunshine  is!"  cried  Lucy 
when  she  reached  the  upper  world. 

"And  the  fresh  air — "  said  Theresa,  taking  long 
sniffs— "isn't  it  good!" 

"But  those  poor  miners!"  said  Miss  Lee.  "What 
a  hard,  hard  life  theirs  is !  I  saw  boys  like  you  and 
Joe,  Carlos,  working  in  the  darkness.  How  I  pity 
them!" 

"As  we  can't  help  them,  let's  change  the  sub- 
ject," proposed  Senhor  Vasco.  "What  do  you  all 
[200] 


UNDER  THE  OCEAN 

say  to  a  visit  among  the  Indians?  There  is  an 
Araucanian  village  a  little  ways  from  here.  If  we 
go  there  we  can  see  just  how  red  people  live,  who 
are  half  civilized." 

"Good!"  cried  Miss  Lee  and  the  children. 

As  they  went  to  prepare  for  this  next  trip,  Carlos 
spoke  of  having  met  a  number  of  Indians  already. 

"We  are  likely  to  see  many  more,"  replied  his 
father.  "This  part  of  Chile  has  been  the  chief  home 
of  the  Araucanians  ever  since  they  agreed  on  the 
Biobio  River  as  a  boundary  between  themselves  and 
the  Spaniards.  We  will  meet  many  Germans  too; 
they  have  come  here  to  farm  the  land. ' ' 

Later  on  in  the  day,  the  children  had  their  hap- 
piest time  riding  out  to  visit  the  village  of  Arau- 
canians. 

"They  look  brave  as  well  as  strong,"  Joe  said  to 
Carlos  as  the  boys  passed  a  group  of  the  natives 
working  in  a  corn-field  by  the  road-side.  "What 
bright-colored  ponchos  the  men  wear !  And  striped 
too!" 

"I  wonder  if  their  wives  made  them,"  returned 
Carlos.  "The  women  surely  wove  the  handsome 
blankets  that  are  wound  around  their  bodies.  Don't 
they  look  gay  in  their  silver  ornaments?" 

"I  never  saw  any  one  wear  so  much  silver  be- 
fore," whispered  Lucy,  who  had  skipped  up  to  her 
brother's  side.  "Immense  ear-rings  that  pull  down 
the  ears  with  their  weight,  big  silver  plates  on  their 
breasts,  and  chains  around  their  necks  and  ankles! 
My,  but  they  are  grcmd!" 

[201] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"We  can  stop  at  one  of  the  Indian  homes,"  said 
Senhor  Vasco,  who  had  been  leading  the  way.  "It 
will  give  us  a  good  chance  to  buy  some  baskets." 

"I'll  get  a  blue  and  white  one  for  Mummie,"  de- 
cided Lucy  immediately.  Theresa  was  equally  cer- 
tain she  would  buy  a  basket  of  yellow  straw,  because 
yellow  was  her  dainty  little  grandmother's  favorite 
color. 

"Let's  stop  at  that  house  over  there,"  proposed 
Joe.  "  It  is  really  a  shed, ' '  he  added,  *  *  because  there 
is  no  front  to  it." 

"The  roof,  for  that  matter,  consists  only  of  skins 
with  a  straw  thatching,"  said  Miss  Lee.  "All  the 
homes  we  have  seen,  however,  are  no  better." 

As  the  sightseers  drew  near  the  hut,  an  old  squaw 
looked  up  from  her  work ;  she  was  finishing  a  beau- 
tifully shaped  basket  which  Miss  Lee  admired  great- 
ly. A  young  squaw,  with  a  tiny  papoose  strapped 
on  her  back,  was  weaving  a  striped  red  and  black 
blanket.  The  black-eyed  baby  looked  solemnly  down 
at  the  strangers. 

"It  doesn't  talk  any  more  than  the  big  folks," 
Lucy  whispered  to  Theresa. 

At  that  very  moment  the  baby  began  to  speak  in 
"goos"  so  deep  that  the  little  girls  were  taken  by 
surprise.  They  shortly  discovered  the  reason;  it 
had  caught  sight  of  some  other  papooses  who  came 
running  into  the  hut  in  great  glee.  They  had  been 
picking  wild  strawberries,  and  were  bringing  them 
to  their  mother. 

While  Senhor  Vasco  and  Miss  Lee  were  busy  se- 
[202] 


UNDER  THE  OCEAN 

lecting  baskets,  their  charges  had  a  chance  to  ex- 
amine the  red  children's  home.  The  walls  were 
black  with  smoke  from  fires  that  had  been  made  in 
two  fireplaces,  for  there  were  no  chimneys.  Heavy 
skins  were  drawn  back  on  each  side  of  the  open 
house-front;  when  storms  came  these  could  be  let 
down.  In  two  different  corners  low  beds  were  nearly 
shut  off  from  the  rest  of  the  hut  by  rugs  or  blankets. 
These  beds  belonged  to  the  different  families  of  the 
master  of  the  home.  As  he  had  two  wives,  each  one 
had  a  separate  corner  for  herself  and  her  children 
to  sleep  in,  while  each  one  cooked  the  meals  for  her 
family  over  a  separate  fireplace.  Moreover,  as  the 
visitors  afterward  found  out,  the  Indian  who  owned 
this  hut  was  known  among  his  people  as  "a  man  of 
two  fires,"  because  he  had  two  wives.  If  he  had  had 
three  wives,  he  would  have  been  called  "a  man  of 
three  fires,"  and  so  on. 

As  the  party  left  the  hut,  Carlos  whispered  to 
his  sister,  * '  Did  you  notice  the  master  when  he  came 
in  ?  He  squatted  down  at  once  before  a  big  bowl  of 
mutton  stew  which  one  of  the  women  had  just  cooked 
for  him." 

"Yes,  and  I  could  smell  the  pepper  in  it,  far  away 
as  I  was." 

"His  wife  acted  like  a  slave,"  said  Theresa. 
"After  she  set  the  dish  before  her  husband,  she 
stood  at  his  back  to  wait  upon  him.  So  did  her 
little  girl." 

".Poor  things!  I  wonder  if  they  always  have  to 
eat  the  left-overs,"  replied  Lucy;  while  Joe  finished 
[203] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

the  subject  by  declaring  that  this  Indian  brave, 
even  if  he  were  a  descendant  of  the  famed  Araucan- 
ians,  could  be  taught  better  manners. 

"And  now,  little  folks,"  said  Senhor  Vasco,  as 
they  left  the  Indian  village,  "we  must  certainly  take 
a  peep  at  Concepcion,  because  it  is  one  of  the  most 
important  cities  of  Chile.  It  is  on  the  Biobio,  only 
a  short  distance  away." 

A  few  hours  later,  as  the  travelers  found  them- 
selves in  the  busy  city  of  Concepcion,  they  decided 
they  were  glad  they  had  come.  They  had  an  excel- 
lent dinner  at  the  hotel,  where  they  ate  delicious 
fruits  and  vegetables  to  their  hearts '  content.  They 
walked  past  orchards  loaded  with  pear  and  cherry 
blossoms.  They  listened  to  a  band  concert  in  the 
plaza.  They  watched  the  people  going  along  the 
streets,  many  of  them  being  Germans  or  English; 
but  the  ones  that  interested  them  most  were  the  In- 
dians. Some  of  these  were  fishermen;  others  were 
farmers  who  had  brought  their  wives  to  trade  at  the 
stores ;  a  few  were  hunters,  just  returned  from  the 
forests  of  the  country  south  of  the  city.  Some  of 
the  Indians  were  gaily  dressed  and  the  squaws  were 
decked  in  heavy  silver  jewelry. 

Lucy  and  Theresa  fell  in  love  with  two  little  girls 
who  were  trotting  along  by  their  mother's  side. 
They  were  barefooted  and  wore  loose  dresses  of 
bright  red.  Their  hair  hung  down  in  long  braids, 
and  their  eyes  shone  like  black  diamonds,  so  Lucy 
said,  as  they  listened  to  the  band  music. 

From  Concepcion,  which,  as  Joe  said  afterward, 
[204] 


UNDER  THE  OCEAN 

wasn't  a  very  pretty  city  because  it  was  so  flat  and 
there  were  so  many  homely  sheet-iron  houses  in  it, 
the  travelers  paid  a  flying  visit  to  its  port  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river.  There  they  saw  the  principal 
naval  school  of  Chile,  and  big  whaling  ships  just  re- 
turned from  the  Antarctic;  they  also  visited  a  fac- 
tory where  whale  oil  was  tried  out  to  be  sent  to  other 
countries. 

"My  head  is  in  a  whirl, "  declared  Lucy,  as  the 
travelers  once  more  started  ^on  their  way — north- 
ward now,  as  they  were  to  spend  a  week  in  Santiago. 


[205] 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE   ROUND   ROBIN 

T  DON'T  mind  this  rain  one  bit,"  said  Joe. 
-*•     "Nor  I,"  said  one  after  another. 

The  travelers  had  been  busy  seeing  the  sights 
of  Santiago  for  six  days,  and  though  they  had  tried 
to  "go  slow,"  there  were  so  many  rides  and  walks 
to  take  and  so  many  places  to  visit,  they  had  really 
had  little  rest.  So  it  was  not  strange  that  none  of 
the  children  minded  spending  the  afternoon  in  their 
private  sitting-room  at  the  hotel  where  they  were 
stopping. 

"What  shall  we  do  with  ourselves!"  Joe  now 
asked. 

"Why  not  prepare  a  *  round  robin'  to  send  to  the 
dear  folks  at  Rio?"  proposed  Miss  Lee. 

Joe  and  Lucy  clapped  their  hands,  as  they  in- 
stantly understood  Miss  Lee's  words.  Their  young 
Portuguese  friends,  however,  only  looked  puzzled. 

"A  round  robin?"  questioned  Carlos  after  a  mo- 
ment's silence. 

"Just  this,  Carlos" — Miss  Lee  smiled — "if  every 
one  of  us  writes  to  the  home  folks  and  we  send  all 
that  is  written  in  one  envelope,  we  shall  have  to- 
gether made  a  '  round  robin. '  ' ' 
[207] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

* ' Good !  But  shouldn't  each  one  choose  a  different 
thing  to  tell  about,  so  there  won't  be  any  repeat- 
ing?" 

' '  A  happy  thought !  Of  course  the  general  subject 
will  be " 

"Santiago,"  sounded  a  chorus  of  voices. 

"And  now,  what  will  each  one  of  you  describe?" 

"I'll  take  Independence  Day  and  the  visit  to  the 
grand  house,"  declared  Joe. 

"I'll  write  about  the  street-car  rides  and  the 
lovely  park,"  followed  Lucy. 

"And  I  choose  the  beautiful  hill  of  Santa  Lucia," 
said  Theresa, 

"Well  then,  I'll  have  to  choose  the  city  of  Saint 
James  itself.  I  think  I'd  rather,  anyway,"  said 
Carlos. 

"But  you  haven't  spoken  yet,  Miss  Lee,"  said 
Theresa. 

"When  we  have  all  finished  writing,  you  shall 
know  my  choice,"  said  the  young  girl.  "Now  then, 
get  your  fountain  pens  and  paper,  and  we  will  begin 
our  joint  letter  to  the  dear  ones  in  Eio. ' ' 

Five  minutes  afterward  the  fall  of  a  pin  might 
have  been  heard,  as  five  earnest  faces  were  bent 
over  the  messages  to  the  loved  ones  on  the  other  side 
of  the  continent. 

About  an  hour  later  Senhor  Vasco  .entered  the 
room  in  time  to  find  lots  being  drawn  as  to  who 
should  read  his  letter  first.  It  fell  to  Carlos,  who, 
after  a  smiling  glance  at  his  father,  began  without 
delay. 

[208] 


THE  ROUND  ROBIN 

Dear  Everybody  [  so  the  letter  ran] :  We  have  been 
having  a  fine  time  in  this  city  of  Santiago.  The  Spaniard 
Valdivia  named  it  so  in  honor  of  Saint  James  who,  he 
believed,  had  guided  him  in  his  expedition  here  from 
Peru.  I  want  you  first  to  see  the  place  as  Valdivia  did 
in  the  long  ago,  because  sometimes  I  shut  my  eyes  and 
imagine  myself  among  the  brave,  proud  Indians  who  were 
once  so  happy  here.  To  begin  with,  look  at  that  high, 
rocky  hill  which  was  probably  made  by  the  pouring  out 
of  a  volcano.  In  the  country  round  are  the  farms  of  red 
men,  who  are  busy  people,  and  love  work.  The  boys  and 
girls  are  happy ;  they  play  and  laugh  and  dance  and  sing, 
for  they  have  no  fear. 

But  look!  a  messenger  enters  the  village.  He  tells  of 
strange  looking  white  men  riding  strange  animals  (horses, 
you  know)  and  shooting  fearful  fire-arms.  They  are  draw- 
ing near.  Already  they  have  attacked  other  Indian  vil- 
lages, have  killed  many  who  went  out  against  them,  and 
have  taken  others  prisoners. 

The  news  spreads  terror.  Well  it  may,  for  the  red  men 
have  only  wooden  lances  and  clubs,  and  roughly  made 
arrows.  Besides,  they  have  never  seen  horses  before — they 
imagine  them  to  be  terrible  monsters. 

Onward  press  the  Spaniards,  shining  in  their  coats  of 
mail,  and  striking  right  and  left  with  flashing  swords  and 
spears.  The  air  is  filled  with  the  war-cry  of  the  Indians 
and  the  shouts  of  their  enemies.  Nobly  as  the  red  men 
fight,  the  ground  is  soon  strewn  with  their  dead  bodies. 
Valdivia  is  victor! 

And  now,  dear  Everybody,  look  with  me  at  Santiago  to- 
day. The  rocky  hill  on  which  the  Spaniards  built  a  fort  in 
the  long-ago  is  now  one  of  the  most  beautiful  places  in  the 
world.  The  rocks  are  almost  hidden  by  bushes  loaded,  with 
blossoms,  lovely  plants  and  ferns.  And  from  the  summit, 
where  the  fort  used  to  stand,  you  can  look  down  over  the 
streets  dividing  the  city  into  big  blocks.  There  are  many 
fine  homes  as  grand  as  palaces.  From  the  top  of  this  hill, 
Santa  Lucia,  it  seems  as  if  trees  and  flowers  were  growing 
up  out  of  the  flat  roofs  of  the  houses  below.  This  is  because 
[209] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

many  of  them  are  built  around  court-yards  where  the  own- 
ers have  lovely  gardens. 

We  have  visited  the  handsome  Palace  of  Congress,  the 
National  Library,  the  Cathedral,  and  other  grand  build- 
ings, about  which  we  will  have  much  to  tell  you  when  we 
get  back.  Now,  however,  I  must  stop  because  Miss  Lee 
says  the  time  is  up. 

With  great  love  to  you  all. 

CAELOS. 

It  fell  to  Lucy  to  read  next.  Clearing  her  throat, 
she  began: 

My  dearest  Mummie  and  all  the  other  dear  Folks:  Here 
we  are  in  a  cosy  sitting-room  of  this  grand  hotel,  busy  with 
a  round  robin  to  let  you  know  what  we  have  been  seeing 
the  last  few  days.  How  I  have  enjoyed  the  street-car  rides, 
sitting  on  the  upper  deck,  and  with  women  conductors  to 
take  the  fares  just  as  in  Valparaiso.  I  know  now  why  it 
is  a  woman:  Chile  has  had  a  great  number  of  wars,  in 
which  so  many  men  fought  and  got  killed  that  there  were 
not  enough  to  do  all  the  other  work.  So  the  women  took 
their  places  in  ever  so  many  ways ;  and  they  ran  the  cars 
so  well  that  they  have  kept  on  running  them  ever  since. 

From  our  high  seats  on  top  we  can  often  look  over  the 
tops  of  the  low,  flat-roofed  houses.  It's  fun  to  feel  so 
"way  up."  One  day,  as  we  were  riding  along,  we  met  a 
grand  procession:  it  was  the  President  of  Chile  and  his 
company  of  officers  in  elegant  uniforms.  We  saluted,  of 
course. 

Another  time  when  we  were  out  walking  in  the  Alamedo, 
the  principal  avenue  of  Santiago,  many  fine  carriages  and 
motor  cars  passed  us  with  richly  dressed  people  in  them. 
Once  or  twice  little  girls  smiled  at  me  as  if  they  would 
like  to  get  acquainted.  There  are  long  rows  of  poplars 
along  the  Alameda,  and  people  sitting  on  stone  slabs  here 
and  there  under  the  trees. 

It  was  very  pleasant  there,  but  I  like  Cousino  Park  the 
best.  A  very  rich  lady  gave  it  to  the  city.  It  has  merry- 
go-rounds,  and  candy  and  fruit-stalls  and  dancing-stands. 
[210] 


THE  ROUND  ROBIN 

"We  stood  and  watched  the  people  at  one  of  these  stands. 
They  were  dancing  the  national  dance  to  the  music  of 
guitars  and  mandolins.  It  was  so  pretty  that  Theresa  and 
I  have  been  practising  it  in  our  room  at  the  hotel.  The 
dancers  pair  off,  every  one  holding  a  handkerchief;  and 
as  each  couple  moves  around,  always  face  to  face,  they 
swing  their  handkerchiefs  and  bend  and  bow  in  all  sorts 
of  pretty  ways. 

Dear  me !   I  must  stop  now,  so  good-by  from 
Your  very  loving 

LUCY. 

"My  turn  next,'*  announced  Joe,  who  had  been 
getting  a  little  impatient,  "so  here  goes," 

Dear  Daddie,  [the  letter  ran]  Mummie  Darling,  and 
Adorable  Senhora  Vasco. 

Joe's  listeners  broke  out  into  a  laugh  at  the  word 
adorable. 

"Well,  I  meant  just  that,  anyway,"  he  declared 
stoutly,  but  with  reddened  cheeks.  Then  he  went  on : 

I  want  to  tell  you  about  a  visit  to  a  grand  house  where 
there  were  rooms  and  rooms,  and  then  more  rooms.  It 
was  a  regular  palace,  with  wonderful  paintings  and  elegant 
furniture  and  rugs,  but  not  a,  single  chimney!  I  suppose 
the  people  who  live  there  wrap  themselves  up  in  furs  and 
heavy  robes  when  they  receive  callers  on  winter  days  else 
they  might  speak  frozen  words.  We  were  invited  to  this 
grand  house  because  Senhor  Vasco  had  a  card  of  intro- 
duction to  the  family  from  one  of  his  Rio  friends. 

We  were  entertained  finely.  While  the  big  folks  were 
talking,  their  children  took  us  out  to  see  the  beautiful  in- 
side court.  There  was  a  fountain  there,  and  some  marble 
statues  and  flower  beds,  and  a  stiff  eucalyptus  tree  under 
which  we  sat  down  at  a  little  table  to  eat  plums  and  pears 
and  rich  cakes  that  a  maid  brought  out  to  us. 
[211] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

One  of  the  boys  in  the  family  told  us  about  the  holidays 
of  Chile.  There  are  ever  so  many  church  festivals.  In 
one  of  them,  that  of  Corpus  Christi,  there  is  a  procession 
through  the  city,  when  the  troops  are  splendid  in  bright- 
colored  uniforms  and  waving  plumes.  There  are  also  dif- 
ferent bodies  of  priests,  led  by  the  Archbishop.  The  streets 
are  lined  with  people  who  kneel  as  the  procession  passes 
them. 

The  best  festival  of  all,  I  think,  is  that  of  Independence 
Day.  It  is  celebrated  on  the  18th  of  September,  and  not 
on  the  Fourth  of  July  like  ours.  So  hurrah !  I  say,  -for 
the  brave  Chilenos!  The  children  here  say  it's  a  great 
time — entertainments  in  every  park  and  plaza,  and  all  sorts 
of  good  things.  Even  the  poorest  people  have  a  deal  of 
fun;  they  save  up  money  for  weeks  beforehand  to  spend 
then. 

I  wish  you  were  all  here  to  enjoy  Chile  with  us.  It's  a 
great  country. 

Good-by  till  my  next, 

JOE. 

As  Joe  laid  down  his  letter,  Miss  Lee  said,  "And 
now  we  must  hear  from  our  little  Theresa." 

The  little  girl  looked  shyly  around.  Then  at  a 
smiling  nod  from  her  father,  she  began: 

Most  precious  Grandma  and  dear  Friends:  I  can't  write 
as  well  or  as  fast  as  the  others.  So  I  will  tell  about  just 
one  beautiful  sight  I  have  seen  here  in  this  big  city.  Please 
shut  your  eyes  and  think  yourselves  up  on  top  of  the  hill 
of  Santa  Lucia  at  sunset  time.  We  look  down  at  the  city 
getting  ready  for  its  night's  sleep.  We  see  boys  and  girls 
running  home  along  the  paths  that  wind  so  prettily  round 
and  round  the  hill  with  flowers  and  vines  along  the  way. 
And  then,  dear  folks,  we  look  off,  off,  ever  so  far,  at  the 
mountains  around  us.  Their  snowy  tops  look  rosy  now  in 
the  sunset  light  which  is  spreading  in  wonderful  colors 
over  the  sky  in  the  west.  I  hold  my  breath.  It  seems  as 
if  I  were  in  fairyland.  And  so,  when  we  have  to  go  down 
[212] 


THE  ROUND  ROBIN 

the  hill,  and  the  tiled  roofs  of  the  houses  are  still  shining 
with  the  sun-glow  upon  them,  I  want  to  keep  still.    It  seems 
as  if  God  were  speaking  in  the  beautiful  colors. 
Your  own  loving 

THERESA. 

Senhor  Vasco  *s  eyes  were  dim  as  his  little  daugh- 
ter finished.  All  he  said,  however,  was  "Good,  little 
Theresa."  And  then,  "It  is  clearing  off,  children. 
After  the  round  robin  is  mailed,  we  might  take  a 
little  walk  before  packing  for  our  journey  to-mor- 
row." 

"You  haven't  read  your  letter  yet,  Miss  Lee," 
cried  Joe. 

"Please,  please,"  came  from  the  others,  includ- 
ing Senhor  Vasco. 

"If  I  must,  then," — the  young  girl  smiled — "but 
I  fear  you  won 't  be  interested. ' '  Then  she  began : 

Dewr  Friends  in  Rio:  While  our  little  folks  are  telling 
you  about  the  beauties  of  Santiago,  I  will  write  a  few 
words  about  the  very  poor  boys  and  girls  whom  I  have 
seen  on  the  streets  here.  Their  parents  work  hard,  but 
their  pay  is  so  small  that  many  of  them  live  in  mud  huts 
and  dress  in  the  cheapest  garments.  I  saw  two  little 
urchins  in  the  market-place  one  day.  I  was  out  walking 
alone.  They  were  barefooted,  and  shouting  the  names  of 
the  newspapers  they  had  to  sell.  Their  skins  were  dark 
and  their  eyes  black,  so  I  think  they  were  part  Spanish  and 
part  Indian.  Though  their  trousers  were  ragged  and  their 
hats  torn,  I  must  say  they  looked  happy. 

Afterward  I  went  to  the  poor  quarter  of  Santiago  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river.  How  dirty  and  ugly  the  little  low 
huts  looked !  How  different  from  the  grand  homes  of  the 
rich  people  in  the  part  of  the  city  where  we  are  staying! 
I  hope  that  these  rich  people  will  soon  do  more  to  make  the 
[213] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

poor  have  better  homes,  and  give  them  better  pay,  so  that 
their  children  will  grow  up  to  be  wise  and  healthy. 

Our  own  little  folks  are  very  well  and  happy.  As  we  go 
so  fast  from  one  place  to  another,  they  have  no  time  for 
study,  but  I  am  sure  they  are  learning  a  great  deal,  never- 
theless. 

Faithfully  yours, 

ANNA  LEE. 

When  Senhor  Vasco  had  taken  the  round  robin 
to  be  mailed,  he  had  added  a  short  note  of  his  own 
in  which  he  wrote : 

We  are  having  a  jolly  time  and  learning  much  of  the 
world.  But  this  is  not  all:  we  are  learning  from  each 
other.  My  own  children,  for  instance,  are  waking  up 
more  and  more  from  being  constantly  with  wide-awake  Joe 
and  Lucy.  Carlos  is  becoming  less  selfish  and  has  a  better 
hold  of  his  temper  than  he  used  to  have,  while  my  little 
Theresa  is  changing  into  a  merry,  healthy  little  body  with 
roses  in  her  cheeks  where  lilies  used  to  be.  I  am  sure  Miss 
Lee,  after  tiresome  years  as  a  poor  teacher,  is  having  a 
joyful  rest,  while  I — yes,  I  confess  it — am  becoming  young 
again. 

You  all  will  be  glad  to  know  that,  wherever  we  go,  our 
children  win  friends. 

Sincerely  yours, 

PEDRO  VASCO, 


[214] 


CHAPTER  V 

ON  A   CHILEAN   FARM 

'\\7'HAT  a  beautiful  place  to  live  in!"  said  Lucy 
*  *  in  her  outspoken,  childish  way. 

The  little  girl  was  swinging  in  a  hammock  on  a 
wide  porch  facing  the  inner  court  of  Mr.  Arnold's 
home.  Beds  of  flowering  plants  spread  out  in  front 
of  her  admiring  eyes.  Tall  palm  trees  gave  a  pleas- 
ant shade.  Children  were  flitting  here  and  there 
among  the  flowers. 

1  'Wait  till  you  have  been  around  the  estate,"  re- 
plied a  tall,  handsome  boy  a  little  older  than  Joe. 
"We  will  get  up  a  riding  party  by  and  by,  and  then 
we  will  have  some  fun.  But  tell  me,  did  you  enjoy 
your  trip  here  from  the  Capital?" 

"Yes,  indeed.  I  shall  never  forget  the  lovely  or- 
chards and  vineyards  we  passed  as  we  left  the  city 
behind  us,  nor  the  pretty  river  that  kept  us  company 
for  a  while,  nor  the  big  ox-teams  and  pack-mules 
drawn  up  at  the  stations.  And  then  the  elegant 
homes  we  caught  peeks  at  from  the  car  windows! 
They  stood  in  the  midst  of  big  grain  fields  and  or- 
chards, like  queens  among  their  subjects.  Oh,  but 
there  were  some  things  I  didn't  like!"  Lucy  sud- 
denly sat  upright.  "It  was  the  peeps  I  got  of  the 
[215] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

smoking  volcanoes  away  off  among  the  other  moun- 
tains. I've  seen  them  before  on  our  way  over  the 
Andes  from  Argentina." 

' 'If  you  lived  here" — Arthur  smiled — "you  would 
soon  get  used  to  them.  I  never  think  about  them. 
So  let's  come  back  to  our  valley.  Perhaps  you  don't 
know  that  at  least  one-half  of  the  people  of  Chile 
live  in  this  big  central  valley  and  have  enough  work 
to  keep  them  busy,  too." 

1 '  Oh-h ! ' '    Lucy  seemed  surprised. 

"Yes.  Father  owns  two  thousand  acres,  and  his 
estate  isn't  one  of  the  largest  ones  in  the  country, 
by  any  means.  Of  course,  he  doesn't  work.  He  has 
a  manager,  and  under  the  manager  are  ever  so  many 
superintendents,  and  under  them  are  hundreds  of 
workmen — we  call  them  peons." 

* '  Your  father  must  be  very  rich. ' '  As  Lucy  spoke, 
she  thought  of  the  dozens  of  rooms  in  this  beautiful 
home,  of  the  many  servants,  of  the  elegant  clothing 
and  jewels  of  Arthur's  mother  who  she  had  decided 
must  be  Spanish,  and  the  great  number  of  guests  in 
the  house. 

"I  bet  there  are  thirty  visitors  here  besides  our- 
selves," Joe  had  whispered  to  his  sister  soon  after 
their  arrival.  "It  seems  more  like  a  hotel  than  a 
house  party." 

"Ye-es.  At  any  rate,  we  are  all  very  happy," 
said  Arthur.  "We  have  a  big  home  in  Santiago, 
too,  where  we  go  for  the  winter." 

"But  if  a  few  people  own  such  big  estates,  I  sup- 
pose the  thousands  and  thousands  who  do  the  work 
[216] 


ON  A  CHILEAN  FARM 

are  poor."   Lucy  did  not  mean  to  be  rude.    She  was 
simply  trying  to  understand. 

" Of  course."  Arthur  yawned.  " Our  peons  have 
little  more  pay  than  I  have  pocket  money.  They 
work  hard,  too ;  they  live  in  mud  huts  and  don't  have 
much  to  eat  besides  beans,  and  meal  stirred  up  in 
flour.  I'd  starve  on  such  food."  The  boy  laughed 
good-naturedly.  Then  his  face  grew  sober  as  he 
added :  "I  heard  the  manager  tell  father  the  other 
day  that  many  of  the  babies  on  the  farm  die  because 
they  don't  have  as  good  food  as  they  ought.  I  hope 
father  will  make  it  all  right.  The  workmen  love 
him,  even  though  every  one  of  them  carries  a  knife 
at  his  belt  to  use  if  he  gets  angry." 

Lucy  shuddered.  Arthur  did  not  notice  it,  how- 
ever, because,  just  then,  a  group  of  his  young  guests 
came  running  up.  Carlos,  Joe  and  Theresa  were 
with  them. 

" Isn't  it  time  for  our  ride?"  cried  Maria,  one  of 
Arthur's  sisters,  who  was  dark  like  her  Spanish 
mother. 

"If  you  are  all  ready,"  the  young  host  answered, 
"we'll  start  at  once." 

Leading  the  way  to  an  outer  court-yard,  Arthur 
directed  some  grooms  to  bring  up  horses  and  ponies 
for  the  party.  The  animals  were  well-trained ;  their 
sides  were  glossy  as  silk ;  their  trappings  were  richly 
trimmed  with  silver. 

"I  feel  like  a  queen,"  Lucy  told  Theresa,  when 
the  two  little  girls  were  seated  on  jet  black  ponies, 
and  sat  waiting  for  the  word  to  start. 
[217] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"And  I,"  was  the  reply,  as  with  laughs  and  merry 
calls,  the  party  of  young  folks  prepared  to  follow 
their  leader.  His  two  favorite  dogs  were  already 
leaping  about  Arthur  in  delight,  as  they  were  to  go 
with  the  party. 

At  a  sign  from  him,  the  riders  cantered  off  through 
the  country,  now  past  broad  fields  of  waving  grain, 
now  beside  orchards  and  vineyards ;  and  again  past 
meadows  in  which  sleek  horses  and  cattle  were  feed- 
ing. Sometimes  the  children  caught  sight  of  groups 
of  mud  huts  around  which  barefooted,  dark-eyed 
boys  and  girls  were  playing,  or  working  among 
patches  of  vegetables.  Sometimes  one  of  these 
would  look  up  wonderingly  at  the  gay,  prettily 
dressed  horseback  riders  who  had  come  from  the 
grand  palace  they  had  never  perhaps  entered. 

Before  turning  homeward  Arthur  and  his  guests 
met  one  of  the  overseers  riding  on  horseback  among 
the  workmen.  He  wore  a  broad-brimmed  hat  and 
a  handsomely  trimmed  cloak.  His  dogs  were  with 
him,  keeping  close  to  his  side  whenever  he  stopped 
to  give  an  order. 

"Oxen,  instead  of  horses,  seem  to  do  the  plowing 
and  other  hard  work,"  Joe  told  Carlos  as  they  re- 
turned to  the  house.  ' '  What  patient  beasts  they  are ! 
With  such  heavy  yokes  on  their  necks,  I  can't  help 
pitying  them  as  they  plod  along." 

That  evening  the  children  of  the  household  gath- 
ered in  one  of  the  big  rooms  for  games  and  dances. 
During  one  of  these  dances  Joe  and  Carlos  stopped 
to  rest.  They  chanced  to  find  themselves  sitting  be- 
[218] 


ON  A  CHILEAN  FARM 

side  a  handsome  girl  of  fourteen  whom  Arthur  had 
introduced  as  his  sister  Maria.  They  began  talk- 
ing together  and  Carlos  told  of  the  coast  trip  to  the 
coal  mines  and  Concepcion. 

"I  have  been  there,"  Maria  said  quickly,  "but 
also  far  beyond,  for  I  was  born  in  the  most  southern 
city  of  the  world. ' ' 

The  boys  looked  at  Maria  almost  enviously.  "Do 
tell  us  about  it,"  begged  Joe.  "Where  is  it?" 

"Why!  don't  you  know  about  Punta  Arenas?" 
Maria  seemed  surprised:  "It  is  on  the  coast  of  this 
country,  but  far  south,  almost  down  to  the  Straits 
of  Magellan.  And  it  is  an  important  city  too — big 
ships  are  continually  entering  the  harbor  to  receive 
cargoes  for  other  lands. ' ' 

"What  can  they  get  down  there  where  it  is  so 
cold?  Why,  icebergs  must  be  in  sight  most  of  the 
time!"  Carlos  was  wide  awake  with  curiosity. 

"Ever  so  many  things."  Maria's  dark  eyes 
twinkled.  "Just  remember  that  in  the  country  back 
of  us  reaching  through  Argentine  Patagonia — we 
were  in  Chilean  Patagonia,  you  know,  and  that  is 
narrow — there  are  big  sheep  ranches  and  ostrich 
farms.  The  Indians,  as  well  as  white  men,  down 
there  are  coming  to  Punta  Arenas  every  day  with 
furs  and  wool  to  sell.  Sometimes  one  of  them  brings 
a  beautiful  robe  made  out  of  the  feathers  from  the 
breasts  of  young  ostriches.  My  mother  had  one  of 
those  robes." 

The  girl's  eyes  filled  with  tears  as  she  spoke  of 
her  mother.  Joe  and  Carlos  could  not  understand 
[219] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

the  reason,  till  Arthur  explained  afterward  that 
Maria  was  only  his  adopted  sister  and  had  lived 
with  him  and  his  parents  only  a  few  months.  She 
was  an  orphan  and  his  parents  had  taken  pity  on 
her. 

"Oh!"  Maria  went  on  quickly,  "another  reason 
Punta  Arenas  is  such  a  busy  place  is  that  it  has 
stores  of  coal  always  ready  for  the  steamers  that 
pass  by.  That  is  where  they  get  loaded  up  so  they 
can  keep  on  with  long  voyages." 

"Weren't  the  Indians  you  saw  very  wild!"  asked 
Joe. 

"No,  indeed!  they  were  quite  civilized.  But  if  I 
had  wished  to  see  wild  ones,  I  would  have  gone  down 
to  Tierra  del  Fuego.  There  are  some  there  still,  and 
a  great  many  on  the  neighboring  islands.  We  had 
a  friend  who  had  a  sheep  ranch  on  Tierra  del  Fuego. 
It  is  pretty  cold  there — a  strange  country.  One  can 
find  grass  and  ferns,  and  trees,  and  yet  see  glaciers 
and  snow  at  the  same  time.  Not  so  very  many  years 
ago  there  was  no  one  on  the  island  but  Indians,  just 
as  in  the  days  when  Magellan  sailed  through  the 
Strait  and  they  built  signal  fires  in  their  canoes. 
That  was  why  he  called  the  island  the  Land  of  the 
Fires,  or  Tierra  del  Fuego." 

"How  funny!  but  you  say  white  men  live  there 
now — I  suppose  to  get  rich  raising  sheep." 

"Yes,  they  went  down  and  made  war  on  the  In- 
dians because  they  wanted  the  land  themselves. 
When  I  was  little  our  friend  used  to  tell  me  stories 
about  those  Indians.  They  don't  know  enough  to 
[220] 


ON  A  CHILEAN  FARM 

make  themselves  comfortable.  Till  lately  they  wore 
scarcely  any  clothes,  but  greased  their  bodies  to 
keep  them  warm.  They  eat  fish  and  ground  rats  and 
penguins,  mostly.  Some  of  them  paddle  about  in 
the  dangerous  waters  in  dug-outs  which  they  hollow 
out  of  trees.  Others  have  bark  canoes.  They  spend 
most  of  their  time  hunting  the  guanaco  with  bows 
and  arrows." 

'  *  Oh ! ' '  sighed  Joe.  He  was  wishing  he  could  take 
a  voyage  to  the  Straits  of  Magellan  and  see  the  wild 
life  there. 

Maria  seemed  to  catch  his  thought.  "If  you  ever 
should  want  to  take  a  voyage  down  there, ' '  she  said, 
4 'don't  try  to  round  Cape  Horn,  that  wicked  rock 
which  has  wrecked  so  many  vessels.  Few  ships  go 
down  there  now.  Their  captains  find  it  safer  to  sail 
through  the  Straits.  I've  been  to  the  southern  edge 
of  the  mainland  myself,  and  looked  out  on  Smith's 
Channel.  It  is  beautiful  there." 

Again  her  listeners  looked  at  her  enviously. 

"What  did  you  see?"  asked  Joe  eagerly. 

"Snowy  mountain  peaks,  and  blue  glaciers  sliding 
down  to  the  shore,  and  foaming  cataracts  falling 
over  the  cliffs,  and  floating  icebergs  out  in  the  wa- 
ters, shining  in  the  sunlight.  Oh-h!"  said  the  girl 
breathlessly,  as  she  thought  of  the  wonders  she  had 
looked  upon. 

"But  you  are  glad  to  be  here  in  this  beautiful 
valley  now?"  Carlos  suggested. 

"Oh,  yes.  Many  of  the  people  at  Punta  Arenas 
are  rough  and  so  my  mother  seldom  let  me  go  about 
[221] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

alone.    And  here,  with  these  good  friends,  I  feel  safe 
and  free." 

"Did  you  have  a  rough  voyage  up  the  coast?" 
asked  Joe. 

"Not  at  all.  All  along  the  coast  below  Concep- 
cion  there  are  many  islands — Chiloe  is  the  largest, 
you  probably  know — from  there  down  they  lie  close 
together;  and  with  the  pretty  channels  between 
them,  and  the  deep  bays  lined  with  high  cliffs  cut- 
ting into  the  mainland,  one  is  never  tired  of  watch- 
ing, watching,  watching." 

Maria  closed  her  eyes  dreamily,  and  the  boys 
turned  to  find  themselves  surrounded  by  a  group 
of  merry  youngsters. 

"What  have  you  been  talking  about  so  long?" 
asked  Lucy.  "We  just  had  a  splendid  game — some- 
thing new  to  me. " ' 

"And  we've  been  listening  to  a  splendid  story," 
said  Carlos,  bowing  gracefully  to  Maria. 

"And  now  comes  my  turn,"  said  Miss  Lee,  com- 
ing toward  the  group.  "I  have  to  remind  my 
charges  it  is  past  bedtime  and  that  to-morrow  we 
must  make  an  early  start.  Senhor  Vasco  has  been 
telling  me  his  plans :  we  are  to  leave  this  delightful 

home  and  go  to  Valparaiso,  and  from  there "  she 

stopped  with  a  merry  laugh. 

"Do  we  take  a  coast  steamer  for  Peru?"  asked 
Joe  eagerly. 

"Yes,  but  not  to  stay  there — not  now,  at  any  rate. 
We  are  to  visit  Boh* via  first." 

"Hurrah  for  the  country  of  wonders!" 
[222] 


ON  A  CHILEAN  FARM 

At  Joe's  exclamation  the  Chilean  children  broke 
into  a  laugh — the  American  boy's  excitable  ways 
amused  them.  Then  away  all  scampered  to  bed, 
after  a  good  many  words  of  disappointment  that 
the  travelers  from  Bio  could  stay  no  longer. 


PART  IV 

THE  LANDS  OF  GOLD,  SILVER  AND  TIN 

AND 
THE  BRIDGE  OF  WATER 


CHAPTER  I 

BOLIVIA   THE  WONDERFUL 

HOW  shall  we  ever  land?"     Miss  Lee's  voice 
was  dismal  indeed,  but  Senhor  Vasco  only 
laughed  in  reply. 

The  ship  bearing  our  travelers  was  entering  the 
port  of  Mollendo  on  the  lower  coast  of  Peru.  On 
either  side  were  high  rocks  against  which  the  surf 
broke  in  mighty  waves. 

"The  captain  says  it  is  not  as  wild  to-day  as  it 
often  is,"  comforted  Senhor  Vasco  when  he  had 
stopped  laughing.  "We  can  make  a  safe  landing, 
without  doubt.  Of  course,"  he  continued,  as  the 
children  came  up,  "we  might  have  landed  at  Arica, 
the  Chilean  port  near  the  border.  From  there,  we 
could  have  gone  over  the  highway  made  by  the  Incas 
centuries  ago.  But  it  is  a  hard,  rough  road  and  a 
long  one." 

"This  is  a  heap  better,"  declared  Joe.  "It  will 
be  an  adventure  worth  having." 

Carlos  agreed  with  Joe,  but  the  little  girls  were 
even  more  fearful  than  Miss  Lee. 

However,  when  the  landing  had  been  safely  made, 
and  the  party  had  boarded  the  train  that  was  to 
carry  them  over  the  Andes  to  the  wonderful  sights 
beyond,  every  one  was  ready  to  make  merry. 
[227] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"This  evening  we  shall  reach  Arequipa  and  still 
be  in  Peru,"  said  Senhor  Vasco.  "Then,  after  a 
night's  rest,  we  take  the  train  once  more;  and  at 
sunset  we  will  be  standing  on  the  shores  of  a  lake 
held  sacred  by  the  Incas — the  highest,  and  one  of  the 
most  wonderful  in  the  world — Lake  Titicaca," 

There  was  little  for  the  travelers  to  enjoy  from 
the  car  windows  that  first  day.  Sand  lay  every- 
where about  them.  Now  it  was  in  flat  stretches; 
again,  where  the  wind  could  sweep  freely,  it  was 
piled  up  in  shifting  mounds. 

But  the  children  were  happy  because  Senhor 
Vasco  told  them  stories  of  the  countries  they  had 
come  to  visit.  Peru  with  its  lofty  mountains  and 
volcanoes  held  stores  of  gold,  silver  and  copper.  In 
Bolivia,  for  the  most  part  a  high  plateau,  these  were 
also  to  be  found,  as  well  as  rich  mines  of  tin.  Here, 
in  the  long  ago,  lived  the  Incas,  the  most  civilized 
Indians  known.  Here  they  had  their  cities,  their 
palaces  and  temples. 

Here,  too,  were  the  homes  of  the  llama,  the  al- 
paca, and  the  vicuna,  which  furnished  the  wool  and 
hair  for  the  rich  garments  of  the  Incas.  The  llamas, 
proud,  patient  creatures,  were  their  beasts  of  bur- 
den, and  carried  heavy  loads  of  gold  and  silver  over 
the  mountain  passes ;  they  furnished  milk  and  flesh 
for  the  natives '  food ;  their  skins  were  used  for  gar- 
ments, their  wool  was  woven  into  rugs  and  fine 
cloths ;  their  sinews  were  made  into  thread. 

"Many  an  Indian  boy  in  those  olden  days  had  his 
pet  llama, ' '  Senhor  Vasco  told  the  children.  '  *  I  have 
[228] 


BOLIVIA  THE  WONDERFUL 

read  how  devoted  the  little  creature  was  to  his  young 
master  and  how  it  would  follow  him  about  like  a 
dog.  And  so  sure-footed!  "Why,  in  traveling  over 
the  steep,  narrow  mountain  passes,  I  doubt  if  any 
other  animal  is  so  sure-footed.  Besides,  it  can  go, 
like  the  camel,  for  days  without  food  or  water.  It 
is  said  to  have  the  head  of  a  camel,  the  body  of  a 
sheep,  and  the  legs  of  a  deer.  It  is  really  a  beautiful 
creature.  But  there!  I  won't  tell  you  any  more 
about  llamas  till  you  see  them  for  yourselves." 

*  *  Oh  dear !  I  'm  in  one  of  my  hurries  again ! ' '  ex- 
claimed Joe.  "I  want  to  get  to  Lake  Titicaca 
quick!" 

"Only  one  more  day!"  said  Theresa  consolingly. 

"And  now,  dear  Senhor  Vasco,  please  tell  us  about 
the  other  animals  you  spoke  of,"  begged  Lucy. 
1 '  The  alpaca  and  the  vicuna.  They  are  sort  of  cous- 
ins of  the  llama,  aren't  they?" 

"Yes,  they  belong  to  the  same  family,  as  well  as 
the  guanacos  we  saw  in  Patagonia.  The  vicuna  is 
smaller  than  the  llama,  and  more  beautiful.  Its  fur 
is  very  handsome.  It  is  getting  scarce  now. 

"In  the  days  of  the  Incas,  the  Indians  were  al- 
lowed to  hunt  it  only  at  certain  times.  Then,  at  the 
order  of  the  ruler,  a  great  company  would  start  out 
in  search  of  some  flock  grazing  on  the  wild  moun- 
tain slopes.  They  must  move  softly,  for  the  leader 
of  the  flock  would  be  on  guard.  His  keen  ears  would 
discover  the  slightest  sound  and  he  would  give  the 
alarm  by  a  shrill  whistle  and  a  pawing  of  his  feet. 
Then  away  the  timid  creatures  would  flee  along  nar- 
[229] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

row  ledges  and  down  the  sides  of  steep  cliffs  where 
no  man  dare  follow. ' ' 

"But  if  the  hunters  succeeded,"  suggested  Car- 
los. 

"If  they  managed  to  close  in  on  their  game,  they 
did  not  kill  the  whole  flock.  The  great  ruler  would 
not  permit  that.  A  certain  number  were  killed  for 
their  skins,  and  the  flesh  which  they  would  cut  in 
strips  and  dry  for  food.  Still  others  were  made  pris- 
oners and  shorn  of  their  heavy  wool,  but  afterward 
allowed  to  go  free.  The  babies  of  the  flock,  however, 
beautiful  little  creatures  with  soft,  white  breasts, 
were  seldom  touched.  "Why?  Because  if  left  to 
themselves,  they  would  become  full-sized  vicunas 
that  would  furnish  food  and  fur  for  thousands  of 
the  Inca's  subjects." 

"And  now,  Papa,  please  tell  us  something  about 
the  alpacas,"  said  Theresa. 

"We  may  possibly  see  some  of  them  in  our  wan- 
derings," was  the  reply.  "They  are  smaller  than 
vicunas  and  are  tended  by  their  masters  like  sheep. 
Their  wool  is  almost  as  fine  as  silk.  You  all,  prob- 
ably, have  seen  cloth  made  from  it — it  wears  'like 
iron,'  as  Mrs.  Grayson  would  say.  And  now,"  he 
continued,  "I'm  going  to  take  a  snooze  behind  my 
paper  while  Miss  Lee,  perhaps,  will  play  dominoes 
with  you. ' ' 

The  rest  of  the  day  went  by  much  faster  than  the 
children  expected;  but  when  night  came  and  they 
reached  the  city  of  Arequipa  they  were  so  tired  that 
[230] 


BOLIVIA  THE  WONDERFUL 

they  were  glad  to  tumble  into  bed  at  the  hotel  with 
scarcely  a  peek  at  the  city. 

"To-day  we  may  have  another  adventure,  Joe," 
Senhor  Vasco  said  the  next  morning  with  a  smile. 
"  On  our  journey  over  the  Andes  you  will  find  your- 
selves higher  up  than  on  any  other  railroad  in  the 
world  except  one." 

"And  that  one?"  asked  Joe  quickly. 

'  *  Is  north  of  us,  and  starting  from  Lima,  the  capi- 
tal of  Peru,  also  crosses  the  Andes.  But  never  fear, 
you  will  all  think  yourselves  high  enough  before  we 
reach  Lake  Titicaca." 

Later  on  in  the  day  every  one  was  quite  ready  to 
agree  with  the  Senhor.  The  train  was  moving 
through  a  high  pass  in  the  mountains.  Banks  of 
clouds  lay  below.  In  all  directions  the  travelers 
found  themselves  neighbors  to  snowy  cliffs.  Their 
breath  came  fast  as  they  realized  that  they  were 
indeed  riding  over  the  roof  of  South  America. 
Then,  suddenly,  as  Carlos  caught  sight  of  a  mother 
vicuna  with  two  snow-white  little  ones  at  her  side, 
Theresa  cried  out,  "My  nose  is  bleeding!" 

"Here,  dear,  take  this — it  is  bigger  than  yours," 
said  her  father,  handing  her  his  handkerchief.  As 
he  did  so,  he  discovered  that  Miss  Lee's  face  was 
very  pale.  She  was  leaning  her  head  against  the 
side  of  the  car.  The  next  minute  Lucy  exclaimed 
in  a  frightened  tone,  "I'm  dizzy!" 

"Don't  be  scared.  You  will  all  feel  right  in  a  few 
minutes,"  comforted  Senhor  Vasco,  who  did  not 
seem  the  least  disturbed.  *  *  Your  bad  feelings  come 
[231] 


.. 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

from  our  being  up  so  high.  They  will  go  just  as 
soon  as  we  reach  a  lower  level." 

So  it  proved.  A  half -hour  afterward  the  children 
were  gaily  planning  what  they  would  do  when  they 
reached  Lake  Titicaca. 

All  their  imaginings  were  as  nothing,  however, 
when  the  lake  itself  lay  spread  before  their  eyes. 
They  left  the  train  at  Puno,  Peru's  western  port, 
and  went  on  board  a  steamboat  that  would  carry 
them  through  the  lake 's  beautiful  waters  to  the  Bo- 
livian port  on  the  other  side. 

As  they  moved  out  of  the  little  harbor,  they  were 
filled  more  and  more  with  wonder — "and  bursting 
with  questions,"  as  Joe  said  afterward. 

How  could  there  be  such  a  steamboat  up  among 
mountain  peaks?  Had  it  been  brought  there?  Im- 
possible !  And  whence  came  the  deep  waters  of  this 
lake  that  Senhor  Vasco  said  was  bottomless?  Such 
a  big  lake  too,  the  highest  in  the  world,  larger  than 
all  the  Swiss  lakes  together !  And  so  strange — why, 
it  was  so  near  the  sky,  it  seemed  as  if  one  might  al- 
most stretch  out  one 's  hand  and  touch  it !  At  first, 
even  Joe,  chatterer  that  he  was,  and  with  questions 
piling  up  in  his  mind,  had  no  thought  of  asking  them 
— not  now,  at  least.  But  by  and  by,  as  the  travelers 
got  used  to  the  idea  of  looking  across  at  mountain 
summits  instead  of  lifting  their  eyes  up  toward 
them,  they  began  to  talk. 

"The  steamer  had  a  longer  journey  before  it 
reached  this  lake  than  we  did,"  Senhor  Vasco  told 
the  children.  "Moreover,  it  came  in  parts,  which 
[232] 


BOLIVIA  THE  WONDERFUL 

were  put  together  after  this  great  height  was 
reached. ' ' 

"Where  were  the  different  parts  made?"  asked 
Carlos. 

"I  suppose  in  Scotland,  after  which  they  crossed 
the  Atlantic,  passed  through  the  Straits  of  Magellan, 
sailed  up  the  Pacific,  were  landed  at  Mollendo,  and 
then  climbed  the  Andes  as  we  did." 

"Whew!  that  was  a  long  way  to  come,"  declared 
Joe.  "I  should  think  the  people  would  rather  do  all 
the  building  here. ' ' 

"They  can't,  my  dear  boy.  This  is  not  a  machine- 
making  country.  From  the  rich  mines  in  the  moun- 
tains about  us  copper  and  silver,  gold  and  tin  are 
taken  out,  and  shipped  to  other  lands.  They  in  re- 
turn send  back  manufactured  goods  that  are  needed 
here.  Turn  and  turn  about,  you  see." 

"What  makes  this  lake?"  now  asked  Lucy. 

"Look  around  you  at  the  glaciers  and  snow-cov- 
ered peaks.  The  snow  and  ice  are  continually  melt- 
ing and  forming  rivers.  It  is  said  that  nine  of  these 
rivers  form  this  deep  and  beautiful  lake.  But  lis- 
ten!" Senhor  Vasco  had  caught  the  words  of  a  fel- 
low passenger  who  was  pointing  out  certain  moun- 
tain peaks. 

*  *  Those  two  mountains  were  worshiped  as  gods  by 
the  Incas,"  the  gentleman  was  saying.  "That  one 
over  there  is  Illimani,  the  highest  in  Bolivia.  The 
word  means  *  Bright  condor/  The  other  is  Mt.  So- 
rata." 

As  the  steamer  moved  on  its  way,  it  passed  sev- 
[233] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

era!  large  islands  on  which  mud  huts,  with  patches 
of  potatoes  and  barley  near  by,  could  be  plainly 
seen.  Indian  boys  and  girls  were  playing  along 
the  shore. 

"We  have  reached  the  home  of  the  potato,"  the 
strange  gentleman  was  telling  his  friends.  "Many 
of  us  living  in  other  lands  owe  a  debt  to  Bolivia  for 
the  vegetable  we  like  so  much.  And,  by  the  way, 
the  natives,  both  of  this  country  and  Peru,  like  them 
best  when  prepared  in  a  way  you  probably  never 
heard  of.  The  raw  potatoes  are  soaked  in  water 
and  left  outdoors  during  the  night  to  freeze.  After 
that,  people  tread  on  them  with  bare  feet  till  the 
skins  are  rubbed  off.  Last  of  all,  they  are  dried  in 
the  air  till  they  become  very  white,  and  as  hard  as 
stbnes.  Before  they  are  cooked  they  must  be  soaked 
in  water.  I  must  say  I  don't  care  for  chuno,  as  such 
potatoes  are  called,  because  they  seem  tasteless,  but 
nearly  every  one  I  know  here  thinks  chuno  deli- 
cious." 

"I,  for  one,  don't  care  to  try  the  queer  dish," 
said  Miss  Lee.  "The  idea  of  the  potatoes  being 
trodden  upon  by  bare  feet  is  not  a  pleasant  one." 

As  the  steamer  neared  the  Bolivian  port,  Chili- 
laya,  the  children  were  much  interested  in  the  queer 
boats  along  the  shore.  They  were  made  of  reeds 
bound  into  tight  rolls,  and  then  woven  together. 
Their  sails  were  of  straw.  The  men  on  board  were 
either  Indians  or  cholos,  as  those  who  belong  to  the 
mixed  race  of  Indians  and  Spaniards  are  called  in 
[234] 


BOLIVIA  THE  WONDERFUL 

Bolivia.  These  boats  were  made  exactly  in  the  same 
way  as  in  the  time  of  the  Incas. 

''Look,  look,  everybody!"  cried  Joe,  as  one  of 
them  came  up  alongside  the  steamer.  A  barefooted 
Indian  boy  was  poling  it  along.  In  front  of  him  was 
a  pet  llama  which  stretched  its  neck  proudly  as  it 
looked  up  toward  the  big  noisy  steamer. 

* '  I  never ! ' '  exclaimed  Lucy.  '  *  That  llama 's  wool 
never  took  on  such  colors  by  itself!'* 

"Indeed  not!"  said  Senhor  Vasco,  laughing.  "A 
paint-brush  dipped  into  bright  reds  and  blues  has 
laid  those  stripes  on  the  creature's  back." 

"And  see!"  put  in  Theresa.  "Kibbons  are  tied 
through  holes  in  its  ears.  How  funny!" 

By  this  time  the  passengers  were  making  their 
way  to  the  gangplank. 

"Bolivia  the  wonderful!"  said  Miss  Lee,  as  the 
party  entered  the  crowd  pressing  forward  to  go 
ashore. 

During  the  next  three  days  the  children  were  kept 
busy  seeing  new  and  strange  sights.  They  visited 
the  ruins  of  old  Inca  palaces  on  the  shore  of  the 
lake.  They  took  a  boat  ride,  stopping  at  the  island 
of  Titicaca  where  once  stood  a  temple  sacred  to  the 
sun.  There,  they  were  told,  in  the  long  ago,  the  red 
men  made  pilgrimages,  each  one  carrying  gold  and 
other  precious  gifts  to  the  sun-god. .  Then  came  the 
cruel  Spaniards. 

' '  Though  they  kill  us  or  make  us  their  slaves  they 
shall  not  have  the  treasures  in  our  temple ! ' '  vowed 
[235] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

the  people.    So  they  tore  it  down  and  cast  its  wealth 
into  the  lake. 

Once,  as  Theresa  looked  over  the  boat's  edge,  she 
fancied  she  saw  something  shining  like  gold  far  be- 
low. But  when  her  father  reminded  her  of  the  un- 
known depth,  she  joined  with  the  others  in  a  laugh 
at  herself. 

The  travelers  also  went  on  mule-back  with  a  guide 
through  the  wild  country.  They  passed  several 
trains  of  llamas  loaded  with  silver  on  their  way  to 
the  port  for  shipment.  The  loads  seemed  nearly 
even  in  size. 

"The  llamas  are  sensible  creatures,'*  said  Senhor 
Vasco.  "If  their  masters  place  too  heavy  burdens 
on  their  backs  they  do  not  kick  or  cry  out.  They 
simply  lie  down  and  refuse  to  get  up  till  the  load  is 
lightened." 

"Will  they  bite?"  asked  Lucy. 

"No,  but  if  they  are  angry  they  will  do  something 
far  worse — they  spit." 

"Spit!"  cried  Miss  Lee. 

"Yes,  and  the  spittle  has  a  most  unpleasant  odor. 
So,  in  our  wanderings,  we  had  best  not  venture  near 
a  llama  that  shakes  its  head  at  us  in  an  unfriendly 
way." 

"I  suppose  that  Indian's  poncho  is  made  of  llama 
wool."  As  Carlos  spoke,  he  looked  in  the  direction 
of  the  leader  of  the  train  they  were  passing. 

"I  think  so,"  replied  his  father.    "It  looks  warm 
and  comfortable  even  though  the  cloth  is  coarse. 
What  beautiful  colors  it  has!" 
[236] 


BOLIVIA  THE  WONDERFUL 

1  'Every  few  minutes  the  man  takes  something 
out  of  a  little  embroidered  bag  at  his  belt.  Our 
guide  does  the  same  thing,"  whispered  Joe.  "What- 
ever it  is,  they  put  it  in  their  mouths.  I  wonder  if 
it  is  tobacco. ' ' 

'  *  No,  it  must  be  coca,  which  the  people  here  chew 
continually.  It  refreshes  them.  With  its  help,  they 
can  keep  working  or  walking  for  hours  without  food, 
or  feeling  tired.  And  now  I  think  of  it,  the  cocaine 
which  the  dentist  used  last  year  to  deaden  the  pain 
when  he  pulled  out  one  of  my  teeth,  may  have  come 
from  a  coca  plant  that  grew  in  Bolivia." 

"I  wonder  if  those  little  children  are  gathering 
coca."  Carlos  pointed  toward  a  field  where  several 
boys  and  girls  were  picking  long  thin  leaves  from 
some  tall  plants. 

The  guide  heard  him  and  nodded  yes. 

'  *  I  wish  we  had  time  to  take  a  side  trip  from  here 
to  Cuzco.  It  is  just  over  the  border,  in  Peru, ' '  said 
Senhor  Vasco,  as  the  party  turned  back  toward  the 
hotel. 

"Why,  Papa?"  asked  Theresa. 

"Because  that  was  once  the  capital  of  the  Inca 
kingdom.  It  was  there  that  the  great  ruler  himself, 
the  Child  of  the  Sun,  so  his  people  believed,  held 
his  court.  In  those  days  there  were  temples  in  the 
city  lined  with  gold ;  there,  too,  was  the  royal  palace 
where  the  Inca  dined  off  dishes  of  solid  gold  and 
silver.  There,  when  he  so  pleased,  he  rode  through 
the  streets  in  a  litter  resplendent  in  gold  and  emer- 
alds, and  borne  by  richly-clad  attendants.  Ah !  those 
[237] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

were  happy  days  for  his  subjects,  before  Pizarro 
came  to  torture  and  make  slaves  of  the  red  men." 
Senhor  Vasco  sighed  with  pity. 

When  the  sightseers  reached  the  hotel  all  but  Sen- 
hor Vasco  went  to  their  rooms  to  get  ready  for  din- 
ner. He  stayed  behind  in  the  lobby  to  talk  with  a 
gentleman  whom  he  had  not  seen  there  before,  but 
whose  face  seemed  familiar. 

When  he  joined  Miss  Lee  and  the  children  his  face 
was  bright  with  smiles. 

"To-morrow  morning,"  he  said  gaily,  "we  can 
wake  up  in  Cuzco." 

"What!"  cried  Joe. 

"It  can't  be  possible!"  exclaimed  Miss  Lee. 

"But  it  is  possible!"  Senhor  Vasco  laughed  like 
a  boy.  ' '  The  gentleman  whom  I  met  when  we  came 
back  from  our  walk  is  Senor  Valdo,  a  Spaniard  with 
whom  I  became  acquainted  years  ago.  He  is  a  gov- 
ernment official  at  Cuzco.  He  leaves  Lake  Titicaca 
for  home  to-night  in  his  private  car,  and  he  invites 
us  to  go  with  him.  We  can  see  Cuzco  pretty  well  in 
two  days,  and  another  night's  ride  will  bring  us  back 
again." 

"Splendid!"  cried  Lucy,  who  had  heard  that 
Cuzco  was  the  most  interesting  city  of  South  Amer- 
ica, as  far  as  history  went. 

The  upshot  of  the  matter  was  that  everything  took 
place  quite  as  Senhor  Vasco  said  it  would.    There 
was  a  night's  ride  in  a  comfortable  private  car,  and 
there  was  a  waking  up  when  Cuzco  was  reached. 
[238] 


BOLIVIA  THE  WONDERFUL 

As  the  morning  sun  rose  a  merry  party  left  the 
train,  ready  for  wonderful  sights. 

"How  strange!"  said  Theresa.  She  was  looking 
up  at  the  top  of  the  fortress-hill  behind  the  city,  on 
whose  edge  stood  a  gigantic  wooden  crucifix. 

"One  of  the  first  things  the  Spaniards  did  after 
seizing  Cuzco  was  to  place  that  crucifix  there,"  ex- 
plained Senor  Valdo.  "It  marks  the  spot  where 
the  Incas  had  built  an  altar  to  the  sun  which  they 
worshiped." 

As  the  travelers  walked  on  through  a  dirty,  nar- 
row street,  they  felt  disappointed.  The  houses  on 
either  side  looked  cheap  and  common  and  the  open 
drains  were  full  of  refuse. 

"Ugh*'  they  thought,  "can  this  be  the  wonderful 
city  I  have  come  to  see  f ' ' 

But  their  disappointment  did  not  last  long.  On  a 
sudden,  the  street  opened  upon  a  beautiful  public 
square. 

There  were  shade  trees  and  clover  beds  in  the 
square,  and  an  odd  fountain  standing  on  a  stone 
column.  It  was  a  bronze  head  of  the  Christ,  from 
whose  mouth  a  stream  of  clear,  sparkling  water  was 
constantly  flowing. 

* '  Oh-h ! ' '  now  cried  every  one  in  delight.  In  every 
direction  was  something  interesting — old  buildings 
hundreds  and  hundreds  of  years  old,  and  openings 
into  narrow  streets  where  toll  houses  stood  on  stone 
foundations  laid  by  the  Incas  centuries  ago. 

On  one  side  of  the  square  was  a  church  and  con- 
vent. On  another  was  an  old  palace  fortress  in 
[2391 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

whose  sides  were  loop  holes  for  firing.  Senor  Valdo 
lived  only  a  short  distance  from  this  square.  A 
housekeeper  had  charge  of  his  home,  as  he  had  no 
family. 

"It  is  very  quiet,  but  my  housekeeper  will  do  her 
best  to  make  you  comfortable,"  he  told  Senhor  Vas- 
co.  "I  am  sorry,"  he  added,  ''that  I  shall  be  too 
busy  to  go  about  the  city  with  you.  I  will  get  you  a 
good  guide,  however." 

Little  time  was  spent  that  day,  or  the  next,  at 
the  kind  official's  home,  as  there  was  so  much  outside 
to  be  seen. 

"Let  us  first  see  what  the  Spaniards  have  done 
for  the  town,"  proposed  Senhor  Vasco. 

The  guide,  who  was  a  young  soldier,  heard  the 
words.  "You  should  first  see  our  wonderful  cathe- 
dral," he  said,  and  he  led  the  way  to  the  principal 
square  of  the  city  on  which  the  cathedral  faced. 

'  *  How  big  and  strong  it  is ! "  exclaimed  Joe.  '  *  It 
looks  like  a  fortress." 

"No  fortress  would  have  belfry  towers  like  those, 
nor  would  it  have  a  doorway  rich  with  pillars  and 
fine  carving,"  said  Miss  Lee,  feasting  her  eyes  on 
the  beauty  of  the  doorway. 

By  this  time  the  guide  had  unlocked  the  massive 
door  and  the  visitors  entered  the  cathedral.  They 
stood  still  for  a  minute  to  get  used  to  the  dim  light 
inside.  Gradually  everything  around  them  became 
clear.  Pictured  knights  and  bishops  and  grand 
church  processions  stared  down  at  them  from  the 
walls.  Far  down  in  front  shone  the  high  altar  of 
[240] 


BOLIVIA  THE  WONDERFUL 

solid  silver,  richly  carved  and  embossed.  Around 
it  were  a  pulpit  and  stalls  of  dark  wood,  also  richly 
ornamented.  The  children  held  their  breath  as  they 
caught  sight  of  statues,  large  as  life,  of  Jesus  and 
His  disciples,  all  of  solid  silver. 

A  fresh  surprise  was  in  store  when  they  visited 
the  choir.  Here  were  life  size  statues  of  saints  and 
apostles,  and  more  rich  carvings. 

The  guide  now  described  other  treasures  belong- 
ing to  the  cathedral — gold  and  silver  dishes  and  sa- 
cred vessels  set  with  precious  gems.  No  one  might 
say  what  was  their  value. 

On  leaving  the  building  the  visitors  were  taken  to 
see  an  old  inn,  and  some  noted  churches  which  they 
found  rich  in  carving  and  gold  and  silver.  After- 
wards they  made  a  flying  call  at  the  university 
whose  president  was  an  American. 

"Only  think!"  said  Lucy,  when  the  party  had  re- 
turned to  their  host's  for  lunch,  "that  university  is 
the  oldest  one  in  the  whole  western  continent.  I'm 
glad  I  saw  it." 

"I  too!"  said  Joe,  "and  I'm  glad  of  the  nice  talk 
with  the  president.  He  told  me  something  I  had 
not  heard  before, — that  every  one  believes  there  are 
rich  stores  of  gold  and  jewels  hidden  in  the  ground 
of  this  city  by  the  old  Incas.  I'd  like  to  stay  here 
a  while  and  do  some  digging." 

Joe  looked  so  earnest,  it  made  the  others  laugh. 

"Next  time  you  come  here,  you  may  be  able  to 
stay  longer  and  carry  out  your  wish,"  said  Senhor 
[241] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

Vasco.  "In  the  meantime  who  would  like  to  go  with 
me  to  the  museum  this  afternoon?" 

"I,"  "I,"  "I,"  cried  one  after  another. 

An  hour  later  the  sightseers  climbed  a  hillside  to 
the  house  which  contained  the  museum.  On  the  way 
they  passed  a  fountain  around  which  a  crowd  of  In- 
dians were  gathered  with  their  trains  of  llamas. 
They  had  stopped  to  drink  the  cool  mountain  water. 

When  the  party  reached  the  museum  they  were 
tired  and  hot,  but  all  felt  satisfied  at  having  come 
when  they  had  looked  at  the  curiosities  there. 

First  of  all,  a  row  of  mummies  stared  down  at 
them  from  shelves  against  the  walls.  Lucy  and 
Theresa  shuddered  when  they  discovered  them,  their 
elbows  resting  on  their  knees,  and  their  bony  hands 
clasping  their  heads.  Their  skin  was  dark  and 
shrivelled,  and  their  hair  long  and  black. 

"  Those  are  the  mummies  of  Incas,"  explained  the 
old  Spaniard  who  had  charge  of  the  museum.  "In 
the  long  ago  the  Indians  took  the  bodies  of  their 
dead  friends  to  the  top  of  a  high  mountain  and  left 
them  to  wither  in  the  rare  air  till  they  became  mum- 
mies. Then  they  were  brought  down  and  placed  in 
baskets,  together  with  their  richest  clothing." 

"Did  everything  in  this  place  once  belong  to  the 
Incas  ? ' '  Lucy  asked.  She  had  turned  from  the  mum- 
mies to  examine  some  beautiful  baskets,  and  pieces 
of  finely  woven  cloth.  The  colors  of  the  cloth  were 
as  bright  as  if  they  had  been  woven  that  very  day. 

' '  Everything, ' '  said  the  man.  He  now  pointed  out 
[242] 


BOLIVIA  THE  WONDERFUL 

some  fine  carvings  in  stone,  and  held  up  a  bundle  of 
silk  threads  of  different  colors  and  lengths. 

"Every  thread  in  such  a  bundle  told  a  story  to 
the  Incas, ' '  he  explained.  * '  They  kept  their  records 
in  this  way.  But  no  one  to-day  can  read  such  a 
bundle — no  one." 

That  night  the  travelers  went  to  bed  "with  the 
birds."  But  when  the  sun  rose  over  the  mountain 
tops  next  morning  it  found  them  dressed,  and  eager 
to  start  for  the  remains  of  the  fortress  of  the  Incas 
on  the  hill  back  of  the  city. 

"Now  you  shall  have  a  chance  to  sit  in  the  Seats 
of  the  Mighty, ' '  Senhor  Vasco  told  the  children,  but 
he  would  not  explain  what  he  meant. 

The  way  to  the  fortress  led  up  out  of  the  town 
along  a  road  built  against  the  side  of  a  narrow  ledge. 
A  steep  bank  on  the  right  reached  down  to  a  pretty 
stream  far  below. 

1 '  The  wall  at  our  left  was  once  a  part  of  the  fort- 
ress of  the  Incas,"  explained  the  guide.  "You  will 
soon  see  still  more  powerful  walls. ' ' 

After  an  hour's  hard  climb  the  party  reached  the 
top  of  the  hill  and  found  it  was  almost  level.  They 
were  on  the  summit  of  a  fortress  temple  that  had 
once  been  protected  by  three  immense  walls.  They 
had  already  wondered  at  the  greatness  of  the  walls 
they  had  seen  on  the  way  up,  but  before  them  was 
one  still  more  wonderful.  It  was  made  of  blocks  of 
stone,  some  of  them  as  large  as  houses,  and  fitted 
together  as  closely  as  bricks  in  any  fine  city  build- 
ing, yet  no  mortar  had  been  used.  How  had  these 
[243] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

immense  rocks  been  brought  here?  How  had  they 
been  set  in  place? 

"No  one  will  ever  be  able  to  tell  us,"  said  Senhor 
Vasco,  thoughtfully. 

All  around  stretched  the  great  wall  in  a  half-circle. 
Inside  it  stood  the  remains  of  two  other  walls  some- 
what smaller. 

On  the  open  side,  far  behind,  lay  Cuzco  with  its 
narrow  streets  and  churches.  The  guide  led  the  way 
to  the  edge  of  the  plain  not  far  from  the  large  cruci- 
fix which  the  travelers  had  noted  when  they  arrived 
in  the  city.  All  stood  for  a  while  looking  down  at  the 
sight  below;  then  across  the  valley  to  the  snow- 
topped  mountains  beyond. 

"The  Incas  must  have  felt  safe  with  such  a  fort- 
ress to  guard  their  city,"  said  Carlos. 

"Nothing  could  be  safe  from  the  Spaniards  with 
their  greed  of  gold, ' '  said  his  father. 

"But  we  have  not  yet  seen  the  Seats  of  the 
Mighty, ' '  he  added  gaily.  '  *  Come,  our  guide  is  ready 
to  lead  us  there." 

Leaving  the  temple  fortress  the  party  went  to  the 
plain  behind  it  where  they  found  immense  stone 
seats  cut  out  of  the  solid  rock.  Some  were  single, 
some  in  pairs,  some  were  in  rows,  one  above  the 
other. 

1  *  The  seats  of  the  Incas, ' '  said  the  guide.  ' '  No  one 
knows  why  they  were  built. ' ' 

The  children  had  great  sport  springing  from  one 
seat  to  another,  and  sitting  down  to  try  their  size. 

"I'm  ready  to  leave  this  lonely  place,"  said  The- 
[244] 


, 


BOLIVIA  THE  WONDERFUL 

resa,  after  a  while.  "I  feel  queer,  just  as  if  there 
were  ghosts  around.  Come,  let's  go  down." 

"All  ready  to  follow  Theresa,"  said  her  father 
with  a  smile,  and  the  party  started  on  the  tramp 
back  to  the  city. 

After  the  visitors  had  reached  their  host's  house 
and  enjoyed  baths  and  a  hearty  meal,  there  was  just 
time  enough,  before  the  train  should  leave,  for  a 
walk  past  some  of  the  city  shops.  On  the  way  the 
sightseers  passed  groups  of  gaily  dressed  Indians. 

" There  can't  be  many  white  people  in  Cuzco," 
Lucy  said  afterwards  when  all  were  settled  for  their 
night  ride  back  to  Lake  Titicaca. 

"Only  a  small  numbei,"  said  Senhor  Vasco. 
"But  the  Indians  are  gentle  and  happy,  and  there 
is  nothing  to  fear  from  them." 

"What  shall  we  do  to-morrow?"  asked  Carlos 
sleepily. 

"Soon  after  we  arrive  in  Bolivia  we  might  start 
for  La  Paz,  its  principal  city;  that  is,  if  you  are  all 
well  rested." 

"Of  course  we'll  be  rested,"  said  Joe  indignantly. 

"The  journey  I  am  planning  will  be  only  forty-five 
miles,"  continued  Senhor  Vasco.  "We  could  go 
there  in  a  wagon  drawn  by  six  or  eight  mules.  But 
it  would  be  a  rough  and  tiresome  trip  for  you  all, 
so  I  think  we  had  best  travel  by  train.  To-morrow 
then,  wake  up  with  the  thought  of  a  fresh  start. ' ' 


[245] 


CHAPTER  H 

THE  CITY  OF   THE   TRUE   CROSS 

'117E  left  Lake  Titicaca  the  day  before  you  did  and 
*  *  came  by  mule-train. ' ' 

The  gentleman  who  was  saying  these  words  to 
Senhor  Vasco  in  the  hotel  corridor  at  Vera  Cruz  was 
no  other  than  the  fellow  traveler  whose  words  our 
little  friends  had  heard  when  aboard  a  steamer 
on  Lake  Titicaca.  A  lady  and  two  blue-eyed  little 
girls  stood  beside  him.  As  he  introduced  them,  he 
explained  that  they  were  his  sister  and  nieces  who 
had  come  from  America  to  visit  him,  for  he  had 
made  Bolivia  his  home  many  years  ago. 

' '  I  almost  regret  we  did  not  follow  your  example, 
instead  of  taking  the  train,"  said  Senhor  Vasco. 

"I  am  sorry  that  you  missed  the  experience,'*  re- 
plied the  gentleman.  "Sometimes  we  rode  close  to 
the  edge  of  precipices;  sometimes  we  came  upon 
flocks  of  llamas  or  alpacas,  and  set  them  scurrying 
down  the  slopes  in  a  jiffy.  And  the  air  from  the 
mountains  around  us !  Clear  as  crystal !  Why,  sir, 
I  have  become  a  new  man  since  I  came  to  live  on  this 
plateau." 

Joe  stood  listening  greedily.  He  almost  groaned 
with  envy.  But  he  soon  forgot  what  might  have 
[246] 


THE  CITY  OF  THE  TRUE  CROSS 

been  when  he  began  to  eat  the  good  dinner  in  the 
hotel  dining-room.  There  were  the  dearest  little 
pink  potatoes  with  other  fresh  vegetables  and  roast 
mutton.  And  at  dessert  the  children  had  not  only 
oranges  and  pineapples,  but  the  strangest,  most  de- 
licious fruit  they  had  ever  eaten — at  least,  that  was 
what  they  said  at  the  time. 

"It's  like  ice-cream!"  declared  Joe,  as  he  tasted 
the  cold,  smooth  pulp.  "I  can't  quite  tell  the  flavor 
— it's  not  like  anything  else,  I  know,"  he  added. 

Early  next  morning,  when  our  travelers  visited 
the  market,  they  saw  piles  of  this  very  fruit  that 
looked  like  immense  bean  pods. 

"I  never  would  have  believed  without  being  told 
that  it  isn't  a  vegetable,"  said  Miss  Lee. 

The  market-place  was  a  mass  of  bright  colors. 
Gaily  dressed  women  were  squatting  side  by  side 
in  front  of  mats  on  which  were  piles  of  lemons, 
quinces,  and  tiny  potatoes,  some  pink  and  some 
purple.  The  fruits  and  vegetables  of  all  climates 
could  be  seen. 

"They  come  from  the  slopes  below  us,"  explained 
Senhor  Vasco.  "In  Bolivia  and  Peru  we  travel,  as 
you  know,  from  the  hot  lands  at  the  foot  of  the 
Andes  to  this  cool  plateau.  Hence  there  are  al- 
ways feasts  of  good  things  here  to  be  had  for  the 
buying." 

As  he  spoke,  an  Indian  woman  on  the  ground  in 
front  of  him  called  out  her  wares.  A  baby  tucked 
into  her  shawl  at  the  back  began  to  laugh  and  crow 
at  Lucy. 

[247] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

"How  fat  the  woman  is!"  Theresa  whispered  to 
her  brother. 

"It's  her  many  short  skirts  that  make  her  look 
so,"  he  answered.  "Can't  you  see  she  just  bulges 
with  them?  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  she  has  on  half  a 
dozen.  Don't  you  see,  too,  that  all  the  women  around 
us  wear  many  skirts?" 

' '  Oh,  yes !  and  their  bright  colors  make  this  place 
look  like  a  kaleidoscope — bright  reds  and  blues  and 
greens  and  purples.  What  a  funny  sight ! ' ' 

A  minute  afterward  Lucy  said  to  Miss  Lee,  "It 
makes  me  feel  queer  to  see  here  so  few  white  people 
like  ourselves.  They  are  almost  all  Indians." 

"Or  partly  so,  dear.    A  good  many  are  cholos." 

"Far  more  than  half  the  people  of  Bolivia  are 
Indians, ' '  said  a  voice  behind  them.  The  gentleman 
whom  they  had  met  the  day  before  was  speaking  to 
his  nieces.  "Nevei  forget,"  he  went  on,  "what  a 
wonderful  country  this  is.  It  still  holds  untold 
treasures  in  its  mines ;  its  slopes  furnish  fruits  and 
vegetables  of  all  climes ;  it  supplies  the  world  with 
quantities  of  the  best  quinine.  It  also  probably  ex- 
ports more  rubber  than  any  other  country  of  South 
America  except  Brazil." 

"How  do  they  get  quinine?"  asked  Josephine,  the 
older  niece.  "All  I  know  about  it -is  that  it  is  bitter, 
and  mother  sometimes  gives  it  to  me  when  I'm 
sick." 

Her  uncle  laughed.  "It  is  the  white  powder  made 
from  the  bark  of  the  cinchona  tree,"  he  explained. 
"No  doubt,  as  we  go  back  to  the  hotel,  we  shall  meet 
[248] 


THE  CITY  OF  THE  TRUE  CROSS 

donkeys  loaded  with  cinchona  bark.  It  is  brought 
in  from  the  country  every  day  to  be  packed  here  for 
shipment. ' ' 

As  the  two  parties  left  the  market  at  the  same 
time,  the  little  girls  walked  together  down  the  nar- 
row street. 

"Uncle  says  La  Paz  is  a  queer  looking  place  on 
Judas  day,''  said  Josephine. 

"I  think  it's  queer  looking  now,  with  the  build- 
ings painted  all  sorts  of  colors,  like  the  women's 
dresses,"  laughed  Lucy.  As  she  spoke  she  pointed 
to  a  red  house  beside  which  was  another  of  the 
brightest  green.  "But  what  is  Judas  day?"  she 
asked  curiously. 

"It's  the  next  one  after  Good  Friday,  and  the 
people  here  celebrate  it  in  a  funny  way.  They  buy 
effigies  of  Judas,  and  inside  them  is  gunpowder. 
When  lighted  matches  are  put  to  them  they  go  off 
like  immense  fire-crackers.  The  smallest,  as  well  as 
the  biggest,  boy  thinks  he  must  have  a  Judas  to 
burn  up  on  that  day.  The  town  must  be  full  of 
noise." 

"How  funny!  But  look  there,"  whispered  The- 
resa. 

A  sharp-faced  cholo  lad  was  running  along  the 
street  with  a  brown  llama  beside  him.  The  boy's 
face  was  held  close  to  the  llama's  head,  and  he  was 
calling  it  pet  names. 

"How  he  loves  it!"  said  Lucy.  "I  would,  too,  if 
I  had  such  a  pet.  I  always  longed  for  a  lamb  of 
my  own,  and  I  think  llamas  must  know  more  than 
[249] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

lambs.  That  one  understands  what  the  boy  says  to 
him,  I'm  sure." 

"Its  master  probably  lives  in  a  mud  hut  without 
a  single  window,"  continued  Josephine;  "maybe 
with  chickens  on  a  roost  beside  the  mat  where  he 
sleeps — or  his  pet  llama,"  she  added.  "Uncle  says 
many  of  the  Indians'  homes  in  this  country  are 
hardly  better  than  pig-sties.  Most  of  the  cholos 
live  in  the  same  way,  too." 

"And  these  very  Indians,"  Senhor  Vasco  after- 
ward reminded  the  children,  "descended  from  the 
wise  Incas  who  had  wealth  and  comfort  untold  till 
Pizarro  laid  waste  their  kingdom." 


[250] 


CHAPTER  III 

PEBU  THE  GOLDEN 

A  ND  now  for  the  coast-land  of  Peru  where  we 
-**•  shall  have  a  chance  to  see  somewhat  of  the 
desert  region  of  South  America, ' '  said  Senhor  Vasco. 

Our  travelers  were  now  in  a  train  moving  down 
the  Andes  and  carrying  them  back  to  Arequipa. 

"Beautiful  Lake  Titicaca  above  the  clouds  seems 
like  a  dream,"  said  Miss  Lee  with  half -closed  eyes. 

11  So  does  the  dance  of  those  Indians  we  watched 
outdoors  in  the  moonlight  last  evening,"  said 
Theresa, 

' '  Wasn  't  it  great ! ' '  Lucy 's  eyes  sparkled.  ' '  With 
their  gay  ponchos  swinging  about  their  shoulders, 
and  their  painted  faces  shining  in  the  pale  light,  they 
made  a  picture  I  '11  never  forget. ' ' 

"I  wish  we  could  have  visited  the  rich  tin  and 
silver  mines  near  Lake  Poopo,"  said  Carlos  regret- 
fully. 

"To  do  that  we  should  have  had  to  travel  mule- 
back  from  La  Paz  for  three  whole  days,"  replied  his 
father.  "For  myself,  I  should  have  most  liked  to 
see  the  tin  after  being  brought  from  the  mines  and 
melted  in  a  hot  furnace.  Then,  I  am  told,  as  it  is 
separated  from  the  earth  and  rocks  in  which  it  has 
[251] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

been  bedded,  it  runs  off  in  a  silvery  stream  into 
brick-shaped  moulds.  After  cooling  and  hardening, 
the  bricks  of  tin  are  shipped  to  other  lands. ' ' 

"That  American  gentleman  told  me  there  are  a 
good  many  wild  Indians  in  Bolivia  yet,"  said  Joe. 
"But  they  live  mostly  near  the  eastern  borders 
where  white  men  haven't  ventured  much." 

"As  poorly  off  as  the  Indians  are,"  said  Senhor 
Vasco,  "it  is  much  better  for  them  since  the  Spanish 
rule  over  Peru  and  Bolivia  was  broken.  Bolivia,  by 
the  way,  was  once  a  part  of  Peru. ' ' 

"All  honor  to  General  Bolivar !"  cried  Carlos  with 
flashing  eyes.  "The  country  was  well  named  after 
its  brave  founder." 

"As  we  go  on  with  our  travels  we  shall  still  be 
reminded  of  him,"  said  his  father.  "As  George 
Washington  was  the  father  of  your  country,"  he 
continued,  turning  to  the  twins,  "so  Simon  Bolivar 
brought  about  the  independence  of  Peru  and  the 
countries  north  of  it — Venezuela  and  Colombia — 
which  we  may  possibly  visit  later." 

There  was  so  much  to  talk  about  on  the  journey 
to  Arequipa  that  the  time  passed  quickly.  But  when 
the  coast  was  reached,  the  air  seemed  hot  and  stifling 
after  the  cool  breezes  of  the  upland,  and  every  one 
was  glad  to  go  on  board  the  steamer  ready  to  sail  up 
the  coast. 

"We  shall  have  just  long  enough  a  voyage  to  get 

rested  for  more  sightseeing,"  Senhor  Vasco  told  the 

children.    "We  will  land  at  the  busy  port  of  Callao, 

and  then  a  short  ride  by  train  will  take  us  to  Lima." 

[252] 


Copyright  by  Underwood  <fc  Underwood,  N.  Y. 

THE  USUAL  METHOD  OF  TRAVEL  IN  THE  PERUVIAN  MOUNTAINS 


PERU  THE  GOLDEN 

"And  then  more  wonders!"  said  Joe  gleefully. 

"How  much  better  this  water  trip  is  than  if  we 
had  to  travel  over  the  desert  coast-land ! ' '  said  Miss 
Lee. 

''We  should  see  little  but  sand  around  us,  and  be 
dusty  and  uncomfortable  all  the  time,"  was  the  an- 
swer. ''Of  course,  to  the  eastward  the  foothills  of 
the  Andes  would  always  be  in  sight ;  and  on  the  west, 
the  great  Pacific.  But  there  would  be  little  variety 
except  for  two  things." 

At  the  last  two  words  the  children  were  ' '  all  ears. ' ' 

"In  the  first  place,"  Senhor  Vasco  went  on,  "I 
have  heard  that  on  the  desert  coast  of  Peru,  hills 
often  travel." 

' '  Hills  travel ! ' '  exclaimed  Joe. 

"Yes,  the  coast  wind  often  sweeps  the  sand  along 
in  such  a  way  that  the  mounds  keep  the  same  shape 
as  they  roll  along — somewhat  like  half -moons.  Some 
are  quite  small,  others  are  as  big  as  hills.  It  must 
be  a  queer  sight. ' ' 

"What  else  would  interest  us?"  asked  Theresa. 

"Crossing  the  mountain  streams  that  flow  down 
through  the  desert  to  the  ocean.  There  we  would  be 
sure  to  find  delightful  oases  where  towns  and  vil- 
lages have  been  built,  gardens  filled  with  flowers  and 
vegetables,  and  vineyards  and  orange  orchards  that 
furnish  many  a  feast. ' ' 

"But  this  is  ever  so  nice  right  here,"  said  Lucy, 
drawing  in  a  deep  breath  of  sea-air.    As  she  spoke 
she  put  her  arm  around  Theresa,  and  the  two  little 
girls  started  for  a  hop-skip  around  the  deck. 
[253] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

When  the  travelers  reached  Callao,  they  boarded 
a  train  bound  for  the  Peruvian  capital  at  once. 

"What  a  pretty  ride!"  cried  one  after  another,  as 
they  moved  past  cotton  and  sugar  plantations  which 
could  be  seen  on  every  hand. 

' '  And  what  a  nice  place  for  a  city ! ' '  they  declared 
when  they  afterward  reached  Lima. 

Senhor  Vasco  shook  his  head.  *  *  One  would  think 
so  at  first, ' '  he  said.  ' '  It  lies  in  a  fertile  valley,  with 
the  River  Bimac  flowing  through  its  heart.  But 
though  scarcely  any  rain  falls,  the  air  is  damp  and 
heavy  much  of  the  time." 

"It  looks  like  a  gay  city,  at  any  rate,"  said  Miss 
Lee,  when  the  party  had  taken  a  carriage  bound  for 
the  hotel  where  they  were  to  stay. 

It  was  not  odd  for  her  to  think  so.  The  narrow 
streets  were  crowded  with  carriages  and  people. 
No  one  seemed  in  a  hurry.  Some  were  talking 
merrily  together,  gesticulating  in  Spanish  fashion. 
Others  were  on  their  way  to  and  from  the  stores. 
Still  others  were  riding  slowly  along,  enjoying  the 
sights. 

'  *  The  men  dress  like  Americans,  ' '  said  Joe.  ' '  But 
the  women  look  ever  so  funny,  like  sisters-of-charity, 
with  those  black  cloths  fastened  around  their  heads 
and  hanging  down  behind." 

"How  polite  every  one  seems!"  said  Theresa. 
' '  They  bow  and  smile  and  shake  hands,  and  the  gen- 
tlemen keep  lifting  their  tall  hats  to  their  friends  as 
if  they  were  in  the  best  nature." 

"It  seems  good  to  see  horses  again,"  remarked 
[2541 


PERU  THE  GOLDEN 

Joe  thoughtfully.  "Why  were  there  so  few  up  in 
Bolivia,  Senhor  Vasco?" 

'  'Because  they  can't  live  and  work  at  such  a  height, 
my  boy.  The  air  is  too  thin.  I  noticed  that  many 
of  the  mules  had  had  their  nostrils  slit,  so  they  could 
breathe  more  easily." 

"What  a  beau-ti-ful  building!"  cried  Lucy,  shortly 
afterward. 

"That  must  be  the  celebrated  Lima  cathedral," 
said  Senhor  Vasco.  "To-morrow  we  will  visit  it. 
Among  other  things,  it  contains  the  skeleton  of 
Pizarro  in  a  glass  case.  It  was  he  who  made  this 
city  his  capital  instead  of  Cuzco,  the  beautiful  city 
of  the  Incas." 

"Ugh!"  Theresa  shuddered.  "I  don't  want  to 
look  at  the  skeleton  of  that  horrid  man." 

Every  one  laughed,  forgetting  Pizarro,  however, 
the  next  minute  as  the  carriage  drew  up  in  front  of 
a  handsome  hotel. 

As  the  twins  declared  that  they  were  as  hungry  as 
wolves,  and  Carlos  and  Theresa  nodded  their  heads 
in  agreement  though  they  knew  little  about  wolves, 
no  time  was  lost  in  seeking  the  hotel  dining-room. 

And  then  such  a  feast  as  was  spread  before  them ! 
There  was  fish  served  raw  to  be  eaten  with  lemon 
juice.  But  it  was  good,  as  every  one  decided.  Carlos 
and  his  sister  afterward  had  stewed  guinea-pig,  while 
the  others  chose  roasted  kid,  which  Joe  declared  was 
so  tender  it  melted  in  his  mouth.  There  were  sweet 
potatoes,  and  others  of  a  golden  yellow,  so  delicious 
that  Lucy  said,  "I  don't  know  when  to  stop  eating." 
[255] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

There  were  also  squash,  and  string  beans  of  a  kind 
that  sometimes  grow  two  feet  long.  When  the  des- 
sert was  served  with  its  fruits  and  sweeties,  the 
children  wished  they  had  not  eaten  so  many  other 
good  things  already. 

"Aren't  these  guavas  nice!"  asked  one. 

"And  the  pomegranates  and  alligator  pears!" 
said  another. 

So,  on  and  on,  the  children  ate  and  chatted,  while 
Senhor  Vasco  and  Miss  Lee  smiled  at  their  delight. 

Early  the  next  morning,  while  it  was  still  cool,  the 
travelers  started  out  to  see  more  of  the  city.  They 
visited  the  cathedral,  as  Senhor  Vasco  had  promised. 
Grand  as  it  looked,  they  found  it  was  made  of  mud- 
brick,  not  of  stone  or  marble  as  one  would  expect. 
They  also  visited  the  capitol,  which  stood  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  plaza;  soldiers  stood  on  guard  at 
all  the  doorways.  It  was  a  large  building,  but  only 
two  stories  high.  Many  of  the  houses  in  the  city 
were  of  one  story  only,  for  that  matter;  none  had 
more  than  two. 

What  was  the  reason!  Senhor  Vasco  did  not  tell 
the  little  girls,  fearing  they  might  become  nervous. 
It  was  this :  earthquakes  were  very  common  in  this 
part  of  the  country,  and  the  city  itself  had  been 
destroyed  many  times.  It  was  therefore  more  sensi- 
ble to  use  cheap  materials,  as  well  as  to  make  the 
buildings  low ;  yet  they  looked  so  rich  that  more  than 
once  the  children  and  Miss  Lee  exclaimed  at  their 
beauty.  They  thought  they  must  be  made  of  granite 
or  marble,  or  of  painted  brick. 
[256] 


PERU  THE  GOLDEN 

They  therefore  laughed  when  the  guide,  a  bright- 
eyed  Spanish  lad,  said,  "No,  they  are  of  sun-dried 
brick,  or  of  mud,  covering  frames  of  bamboo  poles. 
Even  the  roofs  are  of  bamboo,  with  the  mud  filled 
into  the  cracks  and  covering  them.  Go  up  on  one 
of  the  roofs  and  walk ;  it  will  shake  under  your  feet. 

"Ah!  but  they  are  pleasant — these  homes,"  he 
continued.  "Many  are  built  around  courts  where 
the  people  sit  in  the  evening  among  trees  and  flower- 
ing plants. 

' '  See ! ' '  said  the  youth  a  little  later  on.  He  pointed 
toward  the  roof  of  a  near-by  house. 

"Chicken-coops!"  exclaimed  Joe  joining  in  the 
laugh.  *  *  That 's  the  queerest  place  to  raise  chickens 
I  ever  heard  of. ' ' 

"I  can  hear  a  mother  hen  clucking  to  her  babies," 
said  Lucy,  stopping  to  listen.  "I  wonder  if  those 
dear  little  things  must  stay  up  there  and  not  have 
any  ground  to  scratch  in  all  their  lives." 

The  guide  nodded  and  smiled. 

1 1  Yes, ' '  he  said, ' '  and  when  they  grow  up  they  will 
lay  many  eggs  for  the  people  of  the  city.  Thousands 
of  chickens  live  here  in  this  way. ' ' 

As  it  was  early  in  the  day,  the  children  had  a 
chance  to  see  the  milkwomen  going  from  house  to 
house  to  sell  their  milk.  They  sat  astride  horses, 
with  big  cans  jostling  at  their  sides. 

Bread  and  vegetable  pedlers,  often  on  donkeys, 

were  also  frequently  met.     So  were  the  cooks  of 

many  wealthy  homes,  who  trotted  along  on  foot, 

carrying  big  baskets,  on  their  way  to  market  to  buy 

[257] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

supplies  for  the  tables  of  their  mistresses.  These 
work-people  were  dressed  in  cotton  garments;  the 
women  wore  large,  soft  hats  on  their  heads  to  protect 
them  from  the  sun. 

"I  have  seen  quite  a  number  of  negroes  as  well  as 
people  of  Spanish  and  Indian  blood  here  in  Lima," 
said  Miss  Lee,  as  the  party  returned  to  the  hotel. 
"I  wonder  how  negroes  happened  to  come  to  this 
part  of  South  America.'* 

"There  were  negroes  up  in  La  Paz,  too," 'said 
Joe. 

"They  were  brought  here  as  slaves  during  the 
Spanish  rule, ' '  replied  Senhor  Vasco.  * '  Pizarro  was 
to  blame  for  it.  He  wasn't  satisfied  with  Indian 
slaves  to  get  the  treasures  of  gold  and  silver  and 
diamonds  for  him.  So  he  had  shiploads  of  negroes 
brought  from  Africa." 

"What  are  we  to  do  this  afternoon,  Papa!"  The- 
resa now  asked. 

"Take  a  nap,  of  course,  to  follow  the  fashion  of 
this  city  as  well  as  that  of  our  own  Rio."  Senhor 
Vasco  laughed  in  a  teasing  way. 

"But  what  then!"    The  little  girl  was  pouting. 

"Afterward!  Oh,  yes;  I  know  what  will  please 
you  all.  Suppose  we  take  a  ride  eastward  in  the 
direction  of  the  silver  and  copper  mines.  We  won't 
reach  them,  but  we  will  have  a  chance  to  see  the 
plantations  that  lie  beyond  us,  where  sugar  and  cot- 
ton are  said  to  grow  in  abundance." 

"Good!  good!"  cried  the  children;  and  Miss  Lee 
looked  as  delighted  as  they. 
[258] 


Copyright  by  Underwood  &  Underwood,  N.  Y. 

THIS  PERUVIAN  SILVER  MINE  IS  A  TRUE  TREASURE  CAVE 


PERU  THE  GOLDEN 

So,  later  on  in  the  day,  the  party  started  merrily 
on  their  way.  They  passed  fields  of  waving  sugar 
cane  and  stretches  of  cotton  plants  among  which 
Indian  workmen,  looking  cool  in  their  loose  white 
garments,  were  busily  at  work.  The  comfortable 
houses  of  their  masters  could  be  seen  surrounded  by 
trees  and  flower-beds.  They  also  rode  through  a 
little  village  where  they  saw  groups  of  children  of 
mixed  Indian  and  Spanish  blood  playing  lazily  under 
the  trees  or  swinging  in  hammocks. 

"I  wonder  if  they  feel  as  hot  as  I  do,"  said  Lucy, 
fanning  herself  as  she  spoke. 

Pretty  soon,  the  road  took  an  upward  turn,  and 
the  air  became  cooler. 

' '  I  can  see  some  mud  huts  in  that  big  field  ahead 
of  us, ' '  said  Carlos,  breaking  a  long  silence. 

"They  aren't  much  bigger  than  beehives,"  said 
Joe. 

"Or  dog-houses,"  added  Lucy. 

' '  Not  a  single  one  with  windows  or  chimneys — and 
yet  human  beings  like  ourselves  live  in  them,"  said 
Senhor  Vasco  sadly.  As  he  spoke,  he  motioned 
toward  a  group  of  Indians  in  front  of  one  of  the 
huts.  The  men  and  women  had  evidently  just  re- 
turned from  work  in  a  near-by  field.  Four  or  five 
children,  nearly  naked,  were  playing  hide-and-seek 
in  and  out  of  the  hut. 

As  they  rode  on,  Senhor  Vasco  pointed  to  the  foot- 
hills of  the  Andes  ahead  of  them.  Behind  the  hills 
rose  mountains  beyond  mountains,  till  the  tops  of 
the  farthest  were  lost  in  the  clouds.  On  this  hot 
[259] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

October  day,  the  travelers  could  see  the  snow  on  the 
distant  slopes,  glistening  in  the  sunlight. 

"We  are  moving  in  a  line  with  that  steep  railroad 
over  the  Andes  of  which  I  have  already  told  you,'7 
said  Senhor  Vasco;  "one  of  the  highest  in  the 
world. " 

"Yes,  and  you  said  we  might  feel  worse  if  we  took 
that  ride  than  when  we  were  on  the  way  to  Lake 
Titicaca,"  Lucy  said  with  a  merry  laugh.  "So. I'm 
glad  to  go  without  it." 

"But  suppose" — her  good  friend's  eyes  twinkled 
— "the  train  went  on  and  on,  after  crossing  the 
mountains,  ever  eastward,  till  it  reached  the  Atlan- 
tic. That  would  mean  we  should  travel  through 
Brazil  and  get  hack  to  Kio  in  a  short  time. ' ' 

Lucy's  eyes  were  suddenly  filled  with  longing. 
The  fact  is,  she  was  getting  a  wee  bit  homesick, 
though  she  would  not  have  admitted  it  for  the  world. 

"Perhaps — perhaps "  she  stumbled. 

"But  as  the  railroad  is  not  finished,  we  can't  get 
home  that  way,"  laughed  Senhor  Vasco.  "In  the 
meantime,  we  had  better  turn  back  toward  Lima  to 
spend  our  last  evening  in  the  gay,  rich  city. ' ' 

That  night  the  children  went  to  sleep  almost  as 
soon  as  their  heads  touched  the  pillows,  as  they 
were  very  tired  after  a  long  day 's  sightseeing. 

Several  hours  afterward — it  must  have  been  mid- 
night, for  the  lights  of  the  city  had  gone  out — the 
travelers  were  suddenly  awakened.  The  beds  in 
which  they  lay  were  shaking  violently;  as  they 
sprang  to  their  feet  they  found  the  floors  also  shak- 
[2601 


PERU  THE  GOLDEN 

ing.  At  the  same  time  calls  could  be  heard  in  the 
halls  outside,  and  the  sound  of  people  hurrying  to 
and  fro. 

*  *  Miss  Lee !  Miss  Lee ! ' '  cried  two  frightened  little 
girls  outside  her  door.  "Please,  please  let  us  in. 
What  is  the  matter?" 

As  Miss  Lee  let  the  little  girls  into  her  room, 
which  she  had  already  lighted,  her  white  face  showed 
she  also  was  frightened.  Already,  however,  the 
shaking  of  the  building  had  stopped. 

"I  don't  know  what  is  the  trouble,  my  dears,"  she 
said  as  calmly  as  she  could.  "At  any  rate,  we  had 
better  dress.  Get  your  clothes  and  bring  them  in 
here." 

Just  then  Senhor  Vasco's  voice  was  heard  in  the 
corridor  outside.  "Don't  be  afraid,"  he  said. 
*  *  There  has  been  a  slight  earthquake,  but  everything 
is  all  right  now.  If  you  look  out  of  your  window  you 
will  see  that  the  people  who  have  run  out-of-doors 
in  fright  are  already  going  quietly  homeward. ' ' 

There  was  no  more  sleep  that  night  for  the  little 
girls,  however.  As  they  lay,  one  on  each  side  of 
Miss  Lee  in  her  big  bed,  they  thought  with  longing 
of  the  dear  folks  in  far  away  Eio.  Lucy,  especially, 
had  an  uncomfortable  lump  of  homesickness  in  her 
throat,  which  she  could  not  swallow. 


[261] 


CHAPTER  IV 

EQUATOR-LAND 

nPHAT  was  an  adventure,"  declared  Joe,  as  the 
•*•  party  settled  themselves  in  a  steamer  just  start- 
ing out  from  Callao  and  bound  northward. 

"One  of  that  kind  is  enough  for  me,"  said  Carlos. 
"It  seems  queer  that  thousands  and  thousands  of 
people  are  contented  to  live  in  a  city  like  Lima, 
where  there  is  danger  every  minute.  They  seem  so 
gay  and  careless  about  it,  too." 

Just  then  Lucy  and  Theresa  came  skipping  along. 
They  were  a  little  pale  from  loss  of  sleep,  but  quite 
happy  to  be  on  the  ocean  once  more. 

"The  captain  has  just  been  telling  me  more  about 
the  riches  of  Peru,"  said  Lucy.  "He  says  that  we 
must  not  think  of  the  rich  gold  and  silver  and  copper 
mines  alone,  but  of  the  shiploads  and  shiploads  of 
guano  that  were  sent  in  past  years  to  other  lands 
from  the  Chincha  and  Lobos  Islands.  You  know  we 
passed  them  as  we  sailed  up  the  coast  from  Chile." 

"I  shouldn't  like  to  live  there,"  said  Theresa 
thoughtfully.  "The  captain  told  me  there  isn't  any 
grass,  or  anything  green  and  pretty  on  a  single 
island — just  sand  everywhere." 

"But  some  people  have  to  live  there,"  said  Senhor 
[262] 


EQUATOR-LAND 

Vasco,  coming  up  behind  the  little  girls.  "They  are 
the  ones  who  dig  up  the  guano  and  load  the  ships 
with  it.  They  have  plenty  of  company,  however,  in 
the  millions  of  pelicans  and  gulls  that  choose  the 
islands  for  their  home.  The  manure  of  these  birds 
and  dead  seals  and  fish  cast  up  on  the  shores,  make 
the  guano  that  has  enriched  many  of  the  farms  in 
distant  countries." 

"What  a  commotion  we  could  make  by  dashing 
into  the  midst  of  a  big  flock  of  pelicans  as  they  set- 
tled down  for  their  night's  sleep!"  said  Joe  with  a 
laugh. 

"You  may  be  sure  that  mischievous  boys  would 
not  be  allowed  to  land, ' '  repli ed  Senhor  Vasco  mer- 
rily. 

Then,  as  he  turned  to  join  Miss  Lee,  who  had 
taken  a  shady  seat  in  the  stern,  the  children  ran  off 
to  chat  with  a  young  man  with  whom  they  had  just 
got  acquainted.  They  had  already  learned  that  he 
had  been  visiting  friends  in  Lima,  and  was  now  re- 
turning to  his  home  in  Ecuador,  a  cacao  plantation 
near  the  city  of  Quito. 

"I  think  he  must  be  Spanish,"  Joe  told  Lucy. 
"He  doesn't  look  as  if  he  had  any  Indian  blood  like 
so  many  of  the  people  in  this  part  of  South  Amer- 
ica." 

"I  don't  believe  so  either,"  was  the  reply.  "I 
like  him  ever  so  much,"  she  went  on.  "Besides,  he 
can  speak  English.  He  said  he  learned  it  at  the  uni- 
versity in  Quito." 

As  the  twins,  with  Carlos  and  Theresa,  joined  their 
[263] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

new  acquaintance,  they  lost  no  time  in  beginning  a 
lively  chatter. 

"I  am  sorry  you  are  not  going  to  stay  in  our  coun- 
try for  a  while,"  the  young  Spaniard  told  the  chil- 
dren. ' '  Then  you  could  visit  us  on  our  plantation. ' ' 

''It's  too  bad — in  some  ways,"  said  Joe,  trying  to 
be  honest  and  yet  polite  at  the  same  time.  He  was 
thinking  of  the  great  heat.  Senhor  Vasco  had  al- 
ready explained  that  the  word  Ecuador  means 
equator  and  that,  in  fact,  the  equator  passes  directly 
through  it. 

"But  we  will  spend  several  hours  at  Guayaquil 
while  the  ship  unloads  some  of  its  cargo,"  said  Car- 
los. "We  can  go  on  shore  and  go  about  the  city." 

"Ah!  but  Guayaquil  is  close  to  the  coast,  only  a 
little  way  up  the  Guayas  River.  It  is  hot  and  damp 
and  unhealthf ul  there.  Even  if  you  follow  the  river 
inland,  it  is  still  low  for  a  long  time.  When  the  heavy 
rains  fall,  that  river  and  others  also  in  the  coast 
lands  overflow  their  banks  so  far  that  whole  villages 
are  nearly  drowned.  The  people  have  to  live  up- 
stairs in  their  homes,  and  go  in  boats  from  house  to 
house." 

' '  And  do  their  shopping  in  rooms  over  the  regular 
stores,  I  suppose.  How  funny!"  said  Lucy  laugh- 
ing. 

"Yes,  but  my  home  near  Quito  is  far  different. 
Imagine  yourselves  going  with  us  there  in  a  train 
from  Guayaquil.  As  we  leave  the  coast-land  behind 
us,  we  still  get  glimpses  of  villages  where  many  of 
the  houses  are  made  of  bamboo,  and  the  peons,  as 
[2641 


EQUATOR-LAND 

we  call  the  working  people,  are  very  poor.  Yet  they 
have  plenty  of  food.  They  raise  rice  easily  in  the 
wet  fields,  as  well  as  yams  and  yucca.  There  are 
many  banana  trees  to  give  them  fruit.  Besides,  they 
get  dried  beef,  which  is  cheap,  and  they  like  it 
much." 

" Yucca,  yucca?"  repeated  Joe  questioningly. 

"Why,  Joe,  don't  you  remember  we  had  yucca  for 
dinner  at  Lima  f ' '  said  Lucy.  ' '  It  tasted  a  little  like 
potatoes,  only  we  didn't  like  it  as  well." 

4  *  We  keep  on  riding, ' '  said  the  young  man,  pleased 
that  his  listeners  seemed  glad  to  hear  about  his  coun- 
try, "and  we  pass  large  cacao  and  coffee  planta- 
tions." 

'  *  Joe  and  I  visited  a  cacao  plantation  on  the  bank 
of  the  Amazon,"  broke  in  Carlos. 

1 1  On  we  go,  higher  and  higher  now, ' '  continued  the 
youth,  "till  we  reach  a  mountain  pass  through  which 
we  travel.  The  air  is  cool  and  pleasant.  When  we 
get  to  the  other  side  of  the  mountains  we  find  our- 
selves in  the  high,  beautiful  valley  that  runs  through 
our  country  between  the  ranges  of  the  Andes.  Here 
lies  my  lovely  home.  How  glad  I  shall  be  to  see  it 
again  I 

"We  have  a  large  farm  where  wheat  and  barley 
and  many  vegetables  grow,  Oh,  so  fast!  And  we 
have  big  herds  of  cattle  which  the  peons,  mostly  In- 
dians, care  for.  And  away  in  the  east  we  can  always 
see  the  grand  mountains,  some  of  them  volcanoes, 
with  smoke  rising  to  mix  with  the  clouds.  Ah,  it  is 
a  beautiful  country!" 

[265] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

The  young  man  closed  his  eyes  in  thought  for  a 
moment.  Then  he  continued,  "I  attend  the  univer- 
sity at  Quito.  By  and  by,  I  hope  to  become  a  priest. 
There  are  many  priests  in  the  city,  and  many  con- 
vents and  churches,  besides  a  beautiful  cathedral. 
I  love  Quito.  Its  houses  are  of  stone  or  brick  cov- 
ered with  stucco ;  the  red-tiled  roofs  make  them  look 
very  pretty.  Ah !  and  not  far  away  is  Chimborazo, 
one  of  the  noblest  of  mountain  peaks. ' ' 

"Are  there  many  Indians  in  Quito?"  Joe  now 
asked. 

"Indeed,  yes,"  was  the  answer.  "Nearly  three- 
fourths  of  the  people  in  the  whole  country  are  In- 
dians. Most  of  them  are  lazy,  stupid  creatures. 
Sometimes  fierce-looking  ones  arrive  in  the  city. 
They  come  from  the  forests  in  the  east  and  they 
bring  the  skins  of  wild  animals  to  sell.  These  hunters 
are  almost  wild  themselves." 

Time  flew  so  fast  with  their  new  acquaintance  that 
the  children  were  surprised  when  they  found  them- 
selves entering  the  harbor  of  Guayaquil. 

"Our  ship  will  stop  only  a  few  hours  at  this  port," 
the  captain  had  told  Senhor  Vasco. 

"Then,  as  it  is  so  hot,  I  would  rather  remain  on 
board,"  said  Miss  Lee. 

"But  we  can  go  ashore  for  a  little  while,  can't 
we?"  asked  Carlos  anxiously. 

"So  we  can  say  afterward  that  we  really  visited 
Ecuador,"  added  Joe. 

"Yes,  we  will  go,  but  I  think  you  will  be  satisfied 
to  come  back  to  the  ship  in  a  very  short  time."  As 
[266] 


EQUATOR-LAND 

Senhor  Vasco  spoke,  he  wiped  off  the  perspiration 
that  was  streaming  down  his  face. 

By  this  time  the  ship  had  come  to  a  standstill  and 
the  air  was  hot  and  heavy. 

"I  don't  believe  the  people  here  need  furnaces  in 
their  houses,"  said  Lucy,  laughing,  as  she  seated 
herself  in  a  small  boat  which  was  to  take  the  party 
to  the  landing. 

"Nor  many  clothes,"  said  Joe.  He  had  already 
noticed  that  the  boatman  was  naked  from  the  waist 
up. 

When  the  party  reached  the  shore,  they  found 
Lucy's  guess  was  a  good  one.  There  was  not  a 
chimney  in  sight.  Moreover,  many  a  house  had  no 
windows;  these  would  be  useless,  because,  if  they 
were  closed,  they  would  shut  out  the  air.  So,  instead, 
there  were  holes  here  and  there  in  the  walls,  through 
which  light  as  well  as  air  could  enter. 

"What  did  I  tell  you?"  said  Joe,  pointing  to  the 
half-naked,  dark-skinned  children  playing  in  the 
streets. 

"Ugh!  it  isn't  nice  here  a  bit!"  pouted  Lucy  in 
disgust.  "It  doesn't  smell  nice  either."  She 
pointed  to  a  pile  of  rotting  fruit  near  a  stand  where 
a  woman  was  selling  pineapples  and  bananas;  she 
had  probably  been  sorting  them  over,  and  thrown 
the  bad  ones  into  the  street. 

' '  Such  things  as  that  make  the  city  a  sickly  one, ' ' 
said  Senhor  Vasco.  ' '  However,  we  will  take  a  short 
ride  to  get  a  few  of  the  sights  of  this  place,  since  it 
[267] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

is  an  important  port  on  this  coast  of  South  America. 
Then  we  will  be  glad  enough  to  join  Miss  Lee." 

A  carriage  was  quickly  hailed.  As  the  children 
rode  along,  they  passed  store  after  store  where  the 
wares  were  spread  out  on  counters  open  to  the  street, 
and  they  could  see  the  gay  colors  and  odd  patterns 
of  the  goods.  At  night,  however,  the  store  fronts 
would  be  closed  in. 

"The  women  here  wear  black  dresses,  and  have 
black  shawls  over  their  shoulders  like  those  we  no- 
ticed in  Peru,"  remarked  Lucy. 

"But  not  the  Indian  women,"  Theresa  replied 
quickly.  '  *  They  wear  the  gayest  colors,  and  their  big 
straw  hats  are  sensible,  I  think,  as  they  shade  their 
faces  from  the  sunlight." 

"I  pity  those  poor  men,"  broke  in  Carlos.  "See 
what  heavy  loads  they  carry  on  their  backs. ' ' 

Just  then  Joe  burst  out  laughing.  '  *  That  is  some- 
thing new, '  '  he  said,  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  speak. 
He  had  discovered  two  donkeys  laden  with  panniers 
filled  with  vegetables.  The  animals'  legs  were  cov- 
ered with  trousers ! 

"Good  reason  for  it!"  said  Senhor  Vasco,  "as 
well  as  for  their  cotton  waist-bands.  The  poor 
beasties  are  thus  protected  against  the  swarms  of 
flies  and  gnats  that  hover  about  them.  I  don't  en- 
joy them  myself,  to  say  the  least." 

Brushing  away  the  troublesome  insects  that  had 

already  almost  destroyed  his  patience,  Senhor  Vasno 

gave  directions  to  the  driver  to  hurry  back  to  the 

wharf.     A  half-hour  later  the  party  reached  the 

[268] 


EQUATOR-LAND 

steamer  to  find  Miss  Lee  looking  comfortable  and 
dainty  in  a  fresh  white  dress,  sitting  under  an  awn- 
ing and  sipping  lemonade. 

When  she  had  heard  the  account  of  the  visit  on 
shore,  she  said  with  a  smile,  "I  did  a  little  sight- 
seeing myself  while  you  were  away.  I  went  below 
decks  to  see  the  cows  and  sheep  that  furnish  us  pas- 
sengers with  fresh  meat.  One  poor  little  lamb 
bleated  so  pitifully,  I  was  sorry  for  it.  No  doubt  it 
had  just  lost  its  mother.  After  that  I  spent  some 
time  watching  the  chickens  and  geese  in  their  coops. 
They  kept  sticking  their  heads  out  through  the  slats 
as  if  they  would  like  to  join  me,  while  one  big  rooster 
crowed  lustily.'* 

* '  Maybe  we  will  have  him  for  dinner  to-morrow, ' ' 
said  Joe.  ''Poor  old  fellow,  I'm  sorry  for  him,  but 
just  now  I  feel  hungry  enough  for " 

" — the  good  dinner  the  bell  is  now  ringing  for," 
said  Senhor  Vasco,  finishing  the  sentence  with  a 
laugh. 

Late  that  afternoon,  as  the  travelers  steamed  away 
from  the  shores  of  Ecuador,  they  agreed  that,  in  re- 
membering it  afterward,  they  would  not  hold  fast 
the  picture  of  hot,  low  Guayaquil,  but  rather  of  the 
rich  valleys  among  the  mountains  where  their  recent 
acquaintance  had  his  home. 


[269] 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  CAPTAIN'S  STORY 

T  'VE  sailed  this  ocean  many  a  long  year,"  the  cap- 
•*•  tain  told  our  travelers  as  they  steamed  across  the 
equator  and  still  northward  over  the  deep  blue 
waters  of  the  Pacific.  "But  I  don't  believe,"  he 
added  with  a  cheery  laugh,  "I  ever  carried  twins 
before.  Seems  as  if  I  ought  to  celebrate  some  way 
or  other." 

"I  know  what — tell  us  a  story,"  suggested  Joe. 
"That  is,  if  you  can  spare  the  time." 

The  old  man's  face  lighted  up.  "A  story!"  he 
asked.  "What  about!" 

"About  Colombia,  the  country  we  are  bound  for 
now, ' '  said  Joe  promptly.  ' '  We  aren  't  going  to  stop 
there.  Senhor  Vasco  says  it's  too  hot  and  we  haven't 
time.  So  we  want  to  know  all  about  it  we  can.  Did 
you  ever  travel  through  the  country!" 

"Bless  you,  child,  I  was  born  there.  It's  a  beauti- 
ful country,  too,  with  the  Andes  split  up  into  three 
ranges,  and  the  lovely  valleys  between.  In  those 
rich  valleys,  you  can  find  coffee  plantations,  and  wide 
stretches  of  sugar  cane  and  tobacco,  and  cacao  or- 
chards without  number.  And  fruit!  Why,  my  lad, 
I  feasted  on  good  things  all  my  life  till  I  ran  off  to 
[270] 


THE  CAPTAIN'S  STORY 

sea.  Such  oranges  as  I  used  to  pick!  Sweet  and 
juicy !  Yum,  yum ! ' '  The  old  man  smacked  his  lips 
at  thought  of  his  boyhood  days. 

"And  the  mountains!"  he  continued.  "Gold  in 
plenty  there  still,  after  centuries  of  mining!  Dia- 
monds mixed  with  the  gold  in  some  places!  Why, 
my  dear  children,  men  in  Colombia  from  all  parts  of 
the  world  are  busy  in  our  mines.  Yet  few  people 
I've  met  on  the  seas  have  half  an  idea  of  what  a 
grand  republic  Colombia  is.  We  have  to  thank  the 
brave  Bolivar  that  it  is  free,"  he  added  half  to  him- 
self. 

Then  he  went  on:  "We  are  bound  now,  as  you 
know,  for  Buenaventura.  There  I  will  take  on  a 
cargo  of  cacao.  There  isn't  much  for  you  to  see  at 
the  port  where  we  shall  stop — plenty  of  palms  and 
bamboos,  of  course,  because  we  shall  still  be  in  the 
tropics,  and  Indians  paddling  about  in  the  harbor. 
But  if  we  had  time,  I'd  like  to  take  you  little  folks 
up  to  my  old  home  in  the  Cauca  valley.  It's  one  of 
the  healthiest  spots  in  the  world.  We'd  climb  over 
the  coast  range  on  mules,  unless  you  preferred  to 
make  the  first  part  of  the  journey  on  the  narrow- 
gage  railroad.  Higher  and  higher  we'd  go,  till  all 
at  once  we  'd  see  a  picture  you  would  never  forget — 
the  valley  I  love  so  well,  spread  out  on  either  side  the 
banks  of  the  Cauca  River.  There  you  would  look 
upon  coffee  plantations  and  cacao  orchards  at  their 
best.  So  fresh  and  lovely  the  air  is  up  there,  you 
would  never  think  of  being  in  the  tropics  at  all. ' ' 

With  the  last  words,  the  captain  suddenly  jumped 
[271] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

up.  So  did  the  children  who  fled  in  haste  to  the 
cabin.  In  their  interest  in  the  story,  they  had  not 
noticed  that  the  sky  had  clouded  over.  Now,  with- 
out warning  as  it  seemed,  rain  was  falling  in  a  per- 
fect deluge — sheets  of  it — striking  the  deck  and  roll- 
ing along  the  floor  in  big  streams. 

By  this  time,  however,  our  travelers  had  become 
used  to  such  surprises — " gushers"  as  the  captain 
called  these  sudden  down-pourings.  So  they  laughed 
and  frolicked  inside  till  the  sun  shone  out  once  more. 
Then  they  sought  the  captain,  begging  him  to  "please 
tell  a  little  bit  more  about  Colombia. ' ? 

The  good-natured  old  man  needed  no  urging,  and 
as  soon  as  he  could  leave  his  office,  he  joined  them  in 
a  cosy  corner  of  the  deck. 

"Weil,  well,  where  was  II"  he  began.  "Oh,  yes, 
I  have  it — we  were  visiting  the  Cauca  valley,  where 
you  found  the  folks  so  kind  and  helpful.  So  there 
are  good  reasons  for  the  people  of  foreign  countries 
liking  them.  Maybe  you  thought  it  queer,  too,  when 
they  were  nearly  all  Indians,  or  else  of  the  mixed 
Indian  and  Spanish  blood. 

"But  now  we'll  leave  the  valley  and  visit  Bogota, 
the  first  city  I  ever  saw,  one  of  the  highest  in  the 
world  and  the  capital  of  my  country. 

"First  then,  we'll  take  a  boat  and  sail  down  the 
Cauca  Kiver,  day  after  day,  till  we  reach  the  big 
Magdalena  River.  We  keep  on  sailing  till  we  come 
to  Honda,  a  small  town  on  the  Magdalena. 

"And  now  we  leave  the  boat  and  ride  on  the  backs 
of  mules  for  two  whole  days.  You  get  pretty  tired, 
[272] 


THE  CAPTAIN'S  STORY 

for  the  way  is  steep  and  rooky;  but  when  the  city 
comes  into  sight  with  its  lovely  park,  and  its  street- 
cars to  whisk  you  about,  and  its  soldiers  drilling  at 
early  morning,  you  are  glad  you  are  here. 

"  Besides,  in  the  good  air,  you  are  soon  refreshed 
after  your  long  journey.  You  enjoy  visiting  the 
shops,  and  watching  the  children  with  their  black- 
gowned  mothers  buying  goods  that  have  been 
brought  here  from  distant  countries.  The  houses, 
too,  built  Spanish  fashion,  around  courtyards,  inter- 
est you. 

"But  if  you  are  like  me,  you  enjoy,  best  of  all, 
the  beautiful  waterfall  not  far  from  the  city,  where 
the  river  leaps  over  a  precipice  that  is  four  hundred 
and  seventy-five  feet  high.  This  waterfall  was  held 
sacred  by  the  Indians  of  the  long  ago.  They  be- 
lieved that  a  wonderful  woman,  the  mother  of  all 
human  beings,  made  this  waterfall  by  a  stroke  of  her 
magic  wand.  She  did  it  to  carry  off  the  water  when 
her  people  were  in  danger  from  a  deluge. 

' '  Where  had  this  beautiful  woman  come  from,  you 
may  ask.  '  From  a  place  of  light, '  the  red  man  would 
have  told  you,  when  all  the  rest  of  the  world  was  in 
darkness.  The  thunder  rolled  and  lightning  flashed 
as  she  appeared,  bearing  in  her  arms  a  little  boy  who 
was  to  grow  up  and  become  her  husband." 

As  the  captain  looked  down  into  the  bright  faces 
of  the  children,  his  own  grew  sad.  "I  am  think- 
ing," he  said,  "about  the  time  when  the  Spaniards 
first  appeared  in  the  country  bringing  slavery  or 
death  to  most  of  the  poor  Chibchas,  as  the  chief 
[273] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

tribe  of  Indians  they  found  here  was  called.  Poor 
creatures !  Even  their  temples  were  destroyed. 

"I  must  not  forget  to  tell  you,"  he  went  on,  "that 
from  Honda  you  can  sail  northward  on  and  on 
through  the  Magdalena  River  till  you  reach  its 
mouth.  Then  behold!  the  Caribbean  Sea  would  lie 
before  your  eyes.  I  had  that  ride  once.  How  I  en- 
joyed it !  Nobody  could  help  doing  so,  because  the 
river  flows  through  such  a  beautiful  country.  And 
what,  I'd  like  to  know,  would  Colombia  do  without 
it?  Why,  a  big  share  of  the  products  raised  there 
are  carried  on  it  up  to  the  northern  coast,  to  be  sent 
from  there  to  other  lands. 

"Some  of  these  products  I  haven't  mentioned  yet 
—vegetable  ivory,  for  instance,  and  bananas.  Then, 
too,  there  are  the  famous  'Panama'  hats  that  sell  in 
the  United  States  like  'hot  cakes,'  as  you  North 
Americans  would  say."  The  old  man  looked  smil- 
ingly at  the  twins  as  he  spoke. 

"Vegetable  ivory!"  repeated  Carlos  thoughtfully. 
1  *  Oh,  yes ;  I  've  heard  of  it.  Father  once  told  me  that 
his  chess  men  were  made  of  vegetable  ivory.  But  I 
didn't  think  to  ask  him  what  it  comes  from.  Please 
tell  us  about  it." 

"It  conies  from  a  certain  kind  of  palm-tree  that 
grows  freely  in  Colombia;  in  Peru,  too,  for  that  mat- 
ter," replied  the  captain.  "The  fruit  of  the  tree  is 
as  big  as  a  man's  head,  and  is  filled  with  three-sided 
nuts  about  the  size  of  hens'  eggs.  The  kernels  are 
white  and  hard  like  the  ivory  of  elephants '  tusks,  so 
[274] 


THE  CAPTAIN'S  STORY 

they  can  be  used  in  making  buttons  and  all  sorts  of 
trinkets." 

"And  now  will  you  tell  us  what  your  people  use  in 
making  'Panama'  hats?"  asked  Lucy.  "I've  had 
several  of  them ;  they  are  so  light  and  pretty,  I  like 
them  ever  so  much. ' ' 

"All  of  you  say  jipi  japa,"  was  the  answer. 

The  children  laughingly  repeated  the  word. 

"That's  it.  I  thought  maybe  it  would  be  hard  for 
you  to  pronounce  it,  and  I  don't  want  you  to  forget. 
Well,  then,  listen.  In  my  country  there  grows  a 
screw-pine  tree  we  call  the  jipi  japa ;  its  leaves  are 
picked  before  they  are  fully  opened,  after  which  the 
soft  parts  are  removed.  The  fiber  that  is  left  is 
soaked  till  it  is  pliable.  Then  it  is  woven  into  what 
you  have  probably  called  *  Panama  straw. '  The  best 
hats  are  made  from  single  leaves.  But  there  1  I 
can 't  stop  another  minute.  Look  ahead  of  you ! ' ' 

With  these  words  the  captain  hurried  away,  as  the 
ship  was  fast  nearing  port. 

' '  That  trip  on  the  Magdalena  must  be  pleasant, ' ' 
Carlos  said  to  the  other  children.  ' '  But  just  now  it 
would  be  a  hot  one.  I'm  glad,  for  one,  that  we  are 
going  to  keep  to  this  good  ship  and  go  around  the 
corner  of  South  America  by  way  of  the  Bridge  of 
Water." 

'  *  So  say  we  all  of  us ! "  cried  Joe. 


[275] 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  BRIDGE  OF  WATER 

T  'M  glad  we  didn't  have  a  long  stop.  It's  so  much 
•*•  cooler  when  we  keep  sailing,"  said  Lucy,  as  the 
ship  speeded  away  from  Buenaventura. 

"So  am  I,"  agreed  Theresa;  "and  there  really 
wasn't  much  to  see  there — just  palms  and  bamboos, 
with  glimpses  of  thatched  huts  and  red-tiled  houses 
under  the  trees." 

"We've  seen  so  many  of  them  at  other  places 
where  we've  stopped,  they  didn't  give  us  anything 
new  to  think  about,"  said  Miss  Lee.  "So  I  am  as 
glad  as  you  that  we  are  on  our  way  to  something 
very,  very  different." 

"Hurrah  for  the  Bridge  of  Water!"  shouted  Joe. 
"And  hurrah  again  for  our  own  glorious  United 
States  that  built  it!" 

"It's  all  right  to  feel  as  you  do,  Joe,"  said  Carlos. 
' '  You  have  a  right  to  be  proud.  I  want  to  see  it  as 
much  as  you  do." 

All  of  them,  in  fact,  were  now  getting  impatient  to 
have  the  experience  of  passing  through  the  wonder- 
ful canal.  So  when  at  last  the  city  of  Panama  came 
into  sight,  Senhor  Vasco  and  Miss  Lee  were  almost 
as  excited  as  the  children. 

[276] 


THE  BRIDGE  OF  WATER 

" Panama  the  Golden!"  cried  one  after  another, 
thinking  of  the  city  as  it  stood  in  the  long  ago  when 
first  built  by  the  Spaniards.  It  must  have  been  very 
beautiful  then  with  its  grand  churches,  its  palaces  of 
stone,  and  its  avenues  and  palm-trees. 

"On  the  summit  of  a  near-by  mountain,"  said 
Senhor  Vasco,  "Balboa  first  looked  upon  the  Pacific. 
He  had  already  sailed  across  the  Atlantic;  and  now, 
when  he  discovered  that  only  a  narrow  neck  of  land 
divided  it  from  another  vast  ocean,  he  was  over- 
joyed. 

'  *  He  did  not  live  to  see  all  the  dreams  of  that  day 
carried  out.  But,  before  he  died,  he  sailed  on  the 
Pacific  in  a  ship  whose  parts  had  been  carried  over 
the  isthmus  and  put  together  on  the  other  side. 

"After  him  came  other  Spaniards,  who  built  a 
road  from  one  side  to  the  other.  Then,  without  need 
of  a  long  and  dangerous  voyage  around  Cape  Horn, 
they  could  reach  Peru,  where  treasures  of  gold  and 
silver  had  been  discovered.  Little  did  these  Span- 
iards dream  of  the  canal  that  was  yet  to  be. ' ' 

As  the  ship  made  her  way  past  the  breakwater 
that  stretched  for  three  miles  out  into  the  Bay  of 
Panama,  our  travelers  took  note  of  the  forts  pro- 
tecting the  entrance  into  the  canal ;  but  they  did  not 
actually  enter  it  till  they  reached  Balboa. 

"Balboa  must  be  a  busy  place,''  remarked  Senhor 
Vasco,  as  he  looked  at  the  machine  shops,  wharves, 
and  warehouses.  "It  cost  twenty  million  dollars  to 
fit  it  up.  But  then,  everything  that  ships  may  need 
must  be  on  hand  for  them  here. ' ' 
[277] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

' '  And  now  for  a  great  adventure ! ' '  said  Joe,  draw- 
ing a  long  breath.  As  he  spoke,  the  ship  was  already 
entering  the  first  of  three  water  stairways,  or  locks. 

Slowly  the  gates  had  opened;  when  the  ship  had 
passed  through,  the  throbbing  of  her  engine  stopped. 
There  was  no  work  for  her  now;  this  would  all  be 
done  by  four  electric  locomotives  on  the  guide  wall 
of  the  canal.  They  were  already  being  attached  to 
the  ship's  side. 

"What  sport!"  cried  Joe.  "It  seems  as  if  we 
were  in  a  big,  big  tank." 

Senhor  Vasco  nodded.    * '  Watch ! "  he  said. 

The  ship  was  being  slowly  lifted  higher  and  higher 
by  the  inrush  of  water  flowing  into  the  lock. 

"This  is  like  what  used  to  happen  to  one  of  my 
play  boats  at  home  when  I  sailed  it  in  the  bathtub 
and  kept  letting  in  more  water,"  said  Joe. 

But  the  others  were  too  busy  watching  to  talk. 

When  the  ship  had  risen  to  the  level  of  the  next 
lock,  its  gates  opened  as  the  first  ones  had  done.  It 
was  carried  through  in  the  same  way  as  before,  till 
the  third  lock  was  reached  and  the  process  was  again 
repeated. 

Then,  getting  up  steam  once  more,  the  ship  sailed 
into  the  deep  channel  now  called  Gaillard  Cut — so 
long  known  as  Culebra  Cut. 

As  it  moved  on,  Senhor  Vasco  told  of  the  time 
and  work  and  cost  of  this  wonderful  channel. 

"Nine  miles  long,"  he  said,  "with  a  curve  at  every 
mile ;  and  every  inch  of  the  way  it  has  been  cut  out 
of  solid  rock ! ' ' 

[278] 


THE  BRIDGE  OF  WATER 

"I  guess  a  good  pile  of  dynamite  was  exploded 
before  it  was  finished,"  said  Joe. 

Every  one  laughed. 

"A  good  guess,  Joe,"  said  the  Senhor.  " Almost 
thirty  thousand  tons  were  used." 

''What  comes  next?"  asked  Miss  Lee  after  a 
while. 

"We  shall  soon  enter  Gatun  Lake,  which  was  made 
by  damming  up  the  Chagres  River.  This,  too,  was  a 
great  undertaking.  Look!  we  are  about  to  enter  it 
now.  We  shall  have  a  pleasant  ride  through  it  for 
twenty-four  miles. ' ' 

"It  seems  like  any  other  big  lovely  lake,"  said 
Theresa,  as  they  sailed  along.  "It  is  hard  to  believe 
that  it  has  been  made  by  damming  up  a  river." 

"I'd  like  to  stop  off  and  explore  this  country, 
after  paying  a  visit  to  the  people  whom  the  United 
States  hires  to  stay  on  the  borders  to  take  care  of 
it,"  said  Carlos  thoughtfully. 

"You  would  find  iguanas  and  parrots  enough  in 
the  forests  to  make  you  think  of  the  Amazon,"  said 
a  voice  behind  his  shoulder ;  "  to  say  nothing  of  alli- 
gators in  the  muddy  streams,  and  rice  fields  and 
banana  groves. ' '  The  captain  had  come  up  unawares 
and  caught  the  lad 's  words. 

"Get  ready  for  some  more  stairs,"  said  the  good- 
natured  man,  as  he  hurried  away. 

The  ship  was  already  nearing  the  end  of  the  lake, 
and  would  soon  make  its  way  down  through  three 
locks  built  like  those  it  had  first  entered. 

"I  was  so  excited  at  the  beginning,"  said  Joe  as 
[279] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

the  gates  opened,  "I  hardly  noticed  that  the  locks 
are  in  pairs,  and  another  ship  was  going  through  the 
ones  alongside  of  ours,  back  to  the  Pacific. ' ' 

"Three  sets  of  twins,  like  you  and  Lucy,"  sug- 
gested Miss  Lee.  "Only  these  are  of  water,  while 
you  are  of  very  lively  flesh  and  blood. ' '  The  young 
girl  pinched  Joe's  cheek  mischievously  as  she  spoke. 

"Sunset!"  exclaimed  Lucy.  "How  fast  the  time 
has  gone  since  we  entered  the  canal!" 

' '  The  captain  told  me  the  passage  would  take'about 
ten  hours, ' '  said  Senhor  Vasco.  ' '  The  time  is  almost 
up;  and  ahead  of  us,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  is  the 
city  of  Colon." 


[280] 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  BEST  SURPRISE  OF  ALL, 

T  'M  glad  we  went  ashore  at  Colon,'*  said  Lucy. 
•*•  "It's  so  different  from  any  other  place  we  have 
visited. ' ' 

"I  should  say  so,  with  its  Chinamen  and  negroes, 
as  well  as  Indians  and  Colombians  and  Americans," 
said  Joe. 

"And  its  streets  shaded  by  cocoa  palms,"  added 
Carlos.  "I  shouldn't  care  to  be  hit  by  a  big  cocoa- 
nut  when  out  taking  a  walk  through  the  town." 

' '  Nor  I, ' '  said  Lucy.  ' '  But  come,  let 's  go  and  get 
acquainted  with  that  girl  and  her  brother  who 
boarded  the  boat  at  Colon.  They  look  real  nice,  and 
I  think  they  are  English.  I  can  see  them  up  in  the 
bow." 

A  half-hour  later  the  children  from  Rio  and  the 
two  young  strangers  were  talking  as  freely  together 
as  if  they  had  known  each  other  for  years. 

"When  we  get  to  the  island  of  Trinidad,"  Joe 
told  his  new  acquaintances,  "we  have  to  say  good-by 
to  this  ship,  as  it  is  bound  for  New  York.  We  are 
going  back  to  Rio,  so  we  have  to  take  another 
steamer  there." 

"Can't  you  stay  a  while  and  visit  us?  Our  home 
[281] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

is  in  Trinidad, ' '  said  the  English  lad,  who  had  intro- 
duced himself  as  Arthur  Gregory. 

"I'm  sorry,  but  I'm  afraid  not,"  Joe  answered. 
1  'We  would  also  like  to  go  over  to  the  mainland,  and 
see  a  little  of  Venezuela,  but  Senhor  Vasco  hasn't 
decided  about  it  yet." 

"Oh,  you  must  go  there,"  said  Marian,  Arthur's 
sister.  ' '  It 's  a  big  and  very  important  country.  My 
brother  and  I  have  traveled  all  over  it,  and  sailed 
for  miles  and  miles  on  the  Orinoco.  That's  one  of 
the  three  big  rivers  of  South  America,  you  know; 
but  the  water  isn't  a  bit  pretty — it's  yellow  and  thick 
with  mud.  On  each  side  are  broad  meadows — every- 
body calls  them  llanos — and  millions  of  cattle  feed 
there." 

"The  Orinoco  looks  very  different  from  the  Am- 
azon, then, ' '  said  Carlos.  ' '  The  banks  of  the  Amazon 
are  lined  a  good  deal  of  the  way  with  forests." 

"I  remember  what  the  captain  of  the  Amazon 
steamer  told  us,"  said  Joe.  "It  was  this:  if  we 
should  sail  up  as  far  as  the  Eio  Negro,  and  then  from 
there  into  another  stream  called  the  Cassiquiare,  we 
could  reach  the  Orinoco.  I'd  like  to  take  such  a  trip 
in  a  canoe." 

"After  that  you  might  explore  almost  all  Vene- 
zuela with  your  canoe,"  said  Marian.  "There  are 
about  a  thousand  streams  in  the  country. ' ' 

"I've  never  visited  the  city  of  Venice,  but  I've 

seen  pictures  of  it,"  said  Arthur,  "so  I  think  the 

Spanish  explorers  hit  on  a  good  name  for  Venezuela, 

for  the  word  means  Little  Venice.    It  came  about  in 

[2821 


THE  BEST  SURPRISE  OF  ALL 

this  way :  they  sailed  from  the  bay  outside  into  Lake 
Maracaibo,  and  found  the  natives  living  in  houses 
built  over  the  water  just  as  the  people  do  in  Venice." 

"But  don't  think  of  Venezuela  as  nothing  but 
plains  with  cattle  feeding  on  them,"  said  Marian. 
"There  are  also  mountains  in  which  many  of  the 
streams  rise,  and  lovely  valleys  with  plantations  of 
cotton  and  coffee  and  tobacco.  Yes,  and  along  the 
coast  my  brother  and  I  have  visited  beautiful  cacao 
orchards  that  furnish  some  of  the  best  chocolate  in 
the  world." 

"I  wish  you  Eio  children  could  take  the  trip  to 
Caracas,  at  any  rate,"  said  Arthur  later  on.  The 
twins  had  been  describing  the  sights  of  New  York, 
and  Carlos  and  his  sister  had  told  of  their  beautiful 
home  in  Eio. 

"Of  course,  it  isn't  a  wonderful  city,"  Arthur 
went  on,  "but  it  is  a  pretty  one  and  the  air  is  fine. 
It  is  in  a  beautiful  valley,  six  miles  back  from  the 
coast  and  over  a  half  mile  above  the  sea.  Mountains 
stand  guard  around  it.  The  houses  are  painted  all 
sorts  of  bright  colors.  It  has  a  university,  and  elec- 
tric lights  and  street-cars  and  cement  sidewalks,  and 
lovely  trees  and  gardens " 

"And  statues  of  two  of  the  greatest  heroes  in  the 
world,"  broke  in  Marian. 

"Which  ones?"  asked  Joe  eagerly. 

"What  should  they  be  but  those  of  George  Wash- 
ington and  Simon  Bolivar?"  demanded  Arthur. 

"Of  course,"  said  Joe,  quite  satisfied.  Then  he 
[283] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

continued,  "And  Bolivar  helped  Venezuela  as  well 
as  other  countries  I  've  heard  about. ' ' 

"Yes,  he  started  the  movement  that  brought  free- 
dom from  Spanish  rule;  so  he  is  held  in  greatest 
honor  by  the  people.  Next  in  their  hearts  comes 
Washington.  I  must  tell  you,"  the  English  lad  went 
on,  looking  at  Joe  and  Lucy,  "how  much  they  ad- 
mire your  country.  Father  says  the  United  States 
has  no  better  friend  in  the  world. " 

The  twins  smiled  with  delight  at  this  praise  of 
their  native  land. 

"I'd  like  to  visit  Caracas,"  said  Theresa.  "But 
most  of  all,  I  wish  I  could  see  the  immense  water- 
lilies  that,  I  have  read,  grow  in  some  of  the  lakes  in 
the  country.  The  biggest  of  them  weigh  more  than 
three  pounds.  The  petals  are  milky-white  outside, 
and  rose-colored  inside,  while  the  centers  are  deep 
violet." 

"I  have  always  wanted  to  see  the  strange  fish  that 
frightened  Bolivar,"  said  Arthur  with  a  laugh. 
'  *  But  I  never  did.  The  story  goes  that  when  one  of 
them  jumped  into  the  boat  when  he  was  paddling 
down  a  stream  in  the  wilderness,  he  said  to  his  com- 
panions: 'Let  us  turn  back.  Even  the  fish  in  this 
country  are  savage.'  " 

"If  he  said  that,  he  had  probably  met  some  savage 
Indians,"  said  Carlos. 

"Of  course;  and  there  are  savage  ones  in  some 
parts  of  the  country  still,"  replied  Arthur.  "But 
not  as  many,"  he  went  on,  "as  in  the  neighboring 
Guianas." 

[284] 


THE  BEST  SURPRISE  OF  ALL 

"Guiana  is  one  more  place  I  wish  we  could  visit, 
and  the  last  one,"  said  Joe.  "Then  I'd  feel  as  if  I 
knew  South  America  pretty  well." 

"You  might  not  care  to  go  far  from  the  coast, 
after  you  had  met  some  of  the  wild  Indians  and 
negroes  of  the  inland  country." 

"Wild  negroes  there!"  exclaimed  Lucy. 

"Yes,  and  they  live  in  almost  as  savage  a  way  as 
the  Indians.  Their  grandparents  were  probably  run- 
away slaves  brought  here  a  long  time  ago  for  the 
English  and  Dutch  settlers.  Guiana  isn't  a  republic ; 
it  is  split  up  into  three  provinces.  Great  Britain 
owns  one,  Holland  another,  and  France  the  third. 

"I've  been  over  to  Georgetown,  the  capital  of  Brit- 
ish Guiana.  It  doesn't  look  a  bit  Spanish,  like  the 
towns  of  Venezuela.  The  buildings  are  higher,  and 
many  of  them  are  built  up  on  piles,  because  the 
water  flows  into  the  streets  during  the  rainy  season. 

"There  are  good  stores  and  pretty  gardens  there, 
and  sugar  plantations  nearby.  But  the  people! 
They  have  come  there  from  all  parts  of  the  world — 
Chinese  and  Hindus,  English  and  Portuguese,  civ- 
ilized Indians  and  negroes.  And  they  dress  in  so 
many  queer  ways — the  Chinamen  with  their  long 
queues,  the  Hindus  in  their  turbans,  the  negroes  in 
gay  colors  and  loads  of  jewelry!  Oh,  it  is  great 
sport  to  watch  them." 

"When  I  was  five  years  old,  I  went  to  the  capital 

of  Dutch  Guiana  with  Father,"  said  Marian,  who 

had  been  watching  for  a  chance  to  tell  more  of  her 

own  experiences.    "It  is  a  queer  little  town.    The 

[285] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

people  speak  Dutch,  and  the  houses  look  Dutch,  so 
it  is  different  as  can  be  from  any  other  place  in 
South  America.  Even  the  ship  that  took  us  there 
belonged  to  Holland,  and  the  captain  was  a  jolly, 
round-faced  little  Dutchman. ' ' 

1  'We  both  took  a  trip  to  Cayenne,  the  capital  of 
French  Guiana,"  said  Arthur.  "It  stands  on  an 
island  close  to  the  mainland.  Many  of  the  people 
there  are  French.  Negroes  do  most  of  the  hard 
work  in  the  gold  mines  of  the  country." 

'What  are  the  principal  products  of  British  and 
Dutch  Guiana?"  asked  Joe. 

"Sugar  and  rice.  Nearly  all  the  country  is  low 
and  damp  and  hot.  I  wouldn't  care  to  live  there. 
Yet  sugar  cane  grows  so  well  that  there  are  several 
crops  a  year.  But  look!  That  must  be  Trinidad 
showing  up  ahead  of  us.  How  short  the  trip  has 
seemed  with  you  to  talk  to !" 

Before  the  Kio  children  could  answer,  Arthur  and 
his  sister  went  hurrying  off  to  join  their  father. 

"What  nice  friends  we  have  made  since  we  left 
home!"  said  Theresa.  "I'm  sorry  they  don't  live 
in  Bio — every  one  of  them." 

"So  am  I,"  said  Joe,  "but  see  here!"  The  boy 
spoke  in  a  deep  mysterious  voice.  "I've  been  want- 
ing to  tell  you  something  all  the  morning.  Senhor 
Vasco  and  Miss  Lee  have  been  acting  as  though  they 
had  a  secret.  Twice  I've  come  upon  them  when  they 
were  talking  in  low  tones,  and  they  broke  off  sud- 
denly as  soon  as  I  drew  near.  They  smiled  each 
time,  as  if  they  knew  something  pretty  good." 
[286] 


THE  BEST  SURPRISE  OF  ALL 

"Perhaps  it's  about  a  trip  to  Caracas,"  sug- 
gested Carlos.  *  *  You  know  Father  wouldn  't  say  out- 
right whether  we  are  to  go  there  or  not." 

' l  At  any  rate,  we  must  get  ready  to  land.  We  are 
in  the  harbor  already.  Hurry!  hurry!"  cried  Joe 
excitedly.  "There's  Miss  Lee  now.  She's  beckon- 
ing to  us  to  get  ready." 

The  children  dashed  away  to  their  staterooms.  A 
few  minutes  afterward  they  were  standing  on  the 
side  of  the  ship  toward  shore,  watching  for  the  gang- 
plank to  be  put  out.  Senhor  Vasco,  and  Miss  Lee, 
whose  face  was  unusually  flushed,  were  beside  them. 
Suddenly,  these  two,  to  the  children's  surprise,  be- 
gan to  wave  their  handkerchiefs.  Whom  could  they 
know  on  this  island  so  far  from  home? 

Whom  indeed?  Did  they  see — or  were  the  twins 
dreaming — the  faces  of  their  father  and  mother 
among  the  strangers  gathered  on  the  wharves  ? 

"Mummie!  Daddie!"  shouted  Joe.  Lucy,  who 
was  too  delighted  for  words,  squeezed  Theresa's 
hand  so  tightly  that  the  little  girl  cried  out  in  the 
midst  of  a  happy  laugh. 

What  a  joyous  meeting  that  was,  as  soon  as  the 
gang-plank  was  safely  fastened,  and  Joe  and  Lucy 
rushed  over  into  their  parents '  loving  arms ! 

"I  found  I  just  couldn't  wait  for  you  to  get  back 
to  Eio,"  said  Mrs.  Grayson,  hugging  first  one,  then 
the  other,  of  the  twins;  "and  so — and  so — your  fa- 
ther said  it  would  do  us  both  good  to  take  an  ocean 
trip  up  to  Trinidad  to  meet  you." 

"Senhor  Vasco,  you  must  have  known  about  it!" 
[287] 


TWIN  TRAVELERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

cried  Joe,  turning  to  his  good  friend,  whose  face 
was  aglow  with  pleasure. 

4 'Ever  since  we  reached  Colombia,"  was  the  smil- 
ing answer.  "That  was  why  we  made  haste  to  get 
on  to  Trinidad.  It  would  never  have  done  to  keep 
your  father  and  mother  waiting.  * ' 

"But  it  was  hard  work  to  hold  the  secret  so  long," 
said  Miss  Lee. 

"How  glad  I  am  that  we  are  all  together  again!" 
Lucy  sighed  with  delight  as  she  looked  first  into  her 
parents'  happy  faces,  then  at  her  brother  and  the 
good  friends  about  her. 

"This  last  one  is  the  best  adventure  of  all,"  de- 
clared Joe  with  great  seriousness. 

And  at  his  words  all  joined  in  a  merry  laugh. 


THE  END 


[288] 


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